HetaOni: The Story Continues
by Lady Nightwisp
Summary: A continuation of the currently unfinished RPG HetaOni. Trapped in a dangerous mansion haunted by mysterious grey creatures, the countries must work together to find a way to escape, before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I'm not the creator of HetaOni, or Hetalia for that matter, nor do I have insider info. I'm just a fan who needs some closure and is ridiculously impatient.

Author's Note (sorry it's long, but please read it): So, first things first, this is a direct continuation of HetaOni from the end of 17 part 1/2.  
>If you know what HetaOni is, you probably understand why I felt the need to write this. You also probably understand what a huge challenge I'm facing. HetaOni has some pretty crazy twists and turns and is very hard to predict. However, I'm trying to write an ending that will be as true to the original as possible. Which means I need your help. I want to get some input on what you think is going toshould happen. It doesn't have to be very in-depth. It can be as simple as 'I want to see some UKUS fluff.' Of course, I'd prefer something more insightful and creative, but if that's all you can think of, that's totally fine. What I really need are some ideas on what Russia and China are up to, who Russia's been talking to on the phone, and what's up with Holy Rome(where are they, what's he up to, etc). I'm totally clueless on those ones. I'm not going to promise to include everything, but any ideas you could give me would be hugely appreciated, and I'll attribute them to you if I use them.

Also, just FYI, if 17 2/2 is released before I finish this(which I'm honestly hoping for), well, there are two possibilities. 1. If my version is only just started or very similar to what actually happens, I'll discontinue this. 2. If my fanfiction is pretty long and/or radically different from the original, I'll continue it as an AU branching off at the end of 17 1/2.

This story is also on my DA account.

Thanks in advance for your help.

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><p>Prussia, Germany, and Japan stood in a rough semicircle around Italy's pale corpse, laid out on one of the beds in the safe room. His hands were folded loosely on his chest, a white rose between them. No one had wanted England to waste what little power he had left on something so useless, but he had insisted and none of them could stop him.<p>

"What should be…our priorities?" Japan asked quietly.

"To put it simply, it should be 'to escape' or 'Spain and Romano,' right? Italy… is…"

Germany couldn't finish the sentence. Japan didn't really blame him. Italy had been important to all of them, but Germany had always been closest to him.

"Italy's face got dirty when he fell," Japan remarked, mostly just to break the silence. "I think I have a handkerchief…"

He reached out to wipe the dirt from Italy's face. Suddenly, he froze.

"What?"

"What's wrong?" Germany asked.

"I-Italy?"

"Hey! What's wrong?" Prussia interrupted.

"Italy!" Japan cried. "Italy!"

"J-Japan?"

"He's breathing," Japan whispered, slowly looking up in amazement to meet Germany's eyes.

The German brothers rushed closer to Italy's prone form.

"You're right!" Germany realized, a smile spreading across his face. Prussia, the slightly more practical of the two at the moment, pressed a finger to Italy's wrist.

"He has a pulse," Prussia told them. "He's alive."

He shot a slightly accusatory glance at Germany.

"He didn't have a pulse before," Germany insisted. "I'm sure of it."

"West, you weren't exactly all there when you were checking the last time," Prussia pointed out. "You probably missed it."

Germany glared at his brother.

"I know how to check for a pulse," he insisted. "If there was even a whisper of a heartbeat, I would have felt it."

"Even you make mistakes," Prussia replied flippantly.

Germany looked at Italy, miraculously still breathing.

"Yeah," he admitted. "For once, I'm glad I was wrong."

"Prussia, you should go tell the others that Italy is alive," Japan suggested. "I'm sure that will cheer them up a bit."

"Leave it to the awesome me," Prussia agreed.

He threw a hasty salute and left the room.

"I'm going to cook something, okay?" Japan stated.

Germany nodded.

Japan left him standing by Italy's bedside and retreated to the kitchen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Prussia left through the stairs hidden in the closet and hurried towards the piano room. That was where the others were supposed to be. Apparently, England had some sort of idea. Personally, Prussia suspected they just wanted to give West some space. That probably would have been a good idea, if Italy had actually been dead. But since he was alive, that just meant more work for Prussia. How annoying.

If Prussia had been paying more attention to his surroundings and less attention to the unfairness of the universe, he might have noticed the creature approaching. Unfortunately, lost in his own little world of awesome, he bumped right into it.

He stared up at the hideous grey monster and gulped. This was definitely not one of his good days. He instinctively reached for his sword, only to remember that it had been broken. Luckily, despite claiming that he didn't want it, he had kept the weapon Japan had given him. He reached to draw it, but paused before it was fully out of its scabbard. The creature had destroyed his sword so easily last time. And he still wasn't entirely sure how serious Japan was about the effect breaking the sword might have on him. Anyone else, he would have known it was a joke, but Japan was kind of weird. It wouldn't be that odd for him to lose it over a sword.

As Prussia debated the safest course of action, Canada stepped out of a room behind the monster.

"Run!" Prussia yelled.

The other nation simply frowned and held a finger to his lips. But the monster had already turned to see what had caught Prussia's attention. Prussia watched in disbelief as the monster's gaze simply passed over Canada without seeing anything. He was even more surprised when Canada launched his pet polar bear at the creature. The monster staggered backwards from the ferocious attack. It cast a confused glance back at Prussia before quickly disappearing.

"What was that?" Prussia asked, in awe.

"My new trick," Canada told him. "Kumabear Stealth Attack."

"Pretty neat," Prussia admitted. "But you probably won't be able to use it for much longer."

"Why not?" Canada asked.

"You're starting to actually become visible," Prussia teased.

"Oh."

"So, why aren't you down with the others?" Prussia asked.

"China and Russia are acting pretty suspicious," Canada said. "Russia especially. I want to see what they're up to. What are you doing? I thought you were comforting your brother."

"Turns out West made a mistake," Prussia replied. "Italy's alive. Japan sent me to tell everyone."

"Italy's alive?"

Prussia nodded.

"That's great," Canada said with a smile.

"You know, the others can probably wait to here the news," Prussia remarked. "You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself. Why don't I come with you? To tell you the truth, I'm pretty curious about Russia, too. There's something off about that guy."

"You don't have to," Canada assured him.

"It's fine," Prussia replied. "Come on. Let's go."

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><p>Thanks for reading<p>

Now review and tell me what you want to see in future chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.

Author's Note: I got great feedback from everyone on the last chapter. Thanks so much you guys! You have some awesome ideas. But my outline is nowhere near complete, so keep the suggestions coming. I can't wait to hear more from you. If you don't have any ideas based on the actual storyline or my story, I suggest you go check out the HetaOni Extra, which includes some scenes from future parts. I'm planning on working all those scenes into my story in some way, shape, or form so, any ideas on how to do that would be much appreciated. Thanks! And now, enjoy part two of my continuation.

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><p>"This is it," China whispered.<p>

He slowly pushed the door open. Beside him, Russia's face betrayed no sense of worry or fear, despite that there was a good chance the monster was inside this room somewhere.

"Lead the way," Russia said. "You're the one who wanted to come here."

China nodded and took the lead. It was slightly disconcerting, knowing that Russia was behind him, but he managed not to show any unease.

He stopped in front of the table and deposited the pile of papers Italy had grabbed as he was escaping among the many other papers covering the surface.

"Explain," he demanded, turning to face Russia.

Russia smiled.

"So that's what you meant by solving a riddle," he remarked.

"That's right," China confirmed. "These papers are all written in Russian. The others didn't notice, but I recognized your handwriting immediately. So tell me. What are they?"

"Why should I tell you?" Russia wondered.

"Because I asked," China replied. "Haven't you learned from Italy's mistake? You should share your worries. Not even you can take on everything by yourself."

"Is that what you think?" Russia asked. "We must not have broken enough clocks yet. Don't you remember?"

China stared blankly at the other nation.

"Remember what?" he asked.

"The first loop," Russia said, as if that explained everything. "Usually, you have some memories of it by now."

"What are you talking about?" China asked.

Somehow, Russia had managed to turn the tables on him, and now he was the one being interrogated.

"You really can't remember?" Russia sighed. "Such a bother."

"Just tell me what I'm forgetting!" China demanded.

Russia seemed about to respond when one of the monsters materialized between the two of them. China cried out in surprise. Russia frowned.

"How annoying," he muttered.

"You call this an annoyance?" China asked. "I'd love to see what constitutes a disaster in your book."

Russia smiled.

"Usually, that would be Belarus trying to break into my house," he said good-naturedly.

"YOU…WILL…NOT…ESCAPE…"The monster growled.

XXXXXXXXXX

"We've got to help them," Prussia insisted, watching through a crack in the door as Russia and China fought for their lives.

"Are you sure they can't handle themselves?" Canada asked nervously. "I don't want them to know we followed them. Russia scares me."

"It won't matter very much if they end up dead," Prussia retorted.

"Okay, let's go," Canada agreed.

They burst into the room and leapt into the fray. Prussia swung Japan's sword wildly and Canada launched Kumajiro at the creature. It was shocked and angry, but Canada's polar bear seemed to have much less effect than the last time. Russia's water pipe was doing barely any damage, and even China's wok seemed to have little effect. The monster just kept on advancing.

"Run!" Prussia screamed.

He grabbed Canada's hand and flew out of the annex, figuring Russia and China could make their own way out. Only once he reached the relative safety of the main floor of the house did he dare look back…

…and realize that Canada was not the person he had grabbed.

"Could you let go of me?" China requested.

He quickly dropped China's hand.

"What happened to Canada and Russia?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Italy stepped into the house.

"It's cleaner than I thought," he remarked, more out of habit than anything.

He had a feeling that if he said, 'Let's leave right now,' they would walk out without any arguments.

It was so strange. It felt like the first time again. Maybe it was the first time. Maybe he had come back to the first loop to fix things before they even went wrong. He looked at his friends. Prussia. Japan. Holy Rome. He almost always came with these three, so it was difficult to tell which loop this was based on that, but something told him this was the first time and he was inclined to believe it.

"Let's go further in," Holy Rome suggested.

A crash from the kitchen drew their attention.

"I'll just go and see what happened," Japan suggested.

"No, let's not split up," Italy begged. "We should all go."

"That sounds good," Holy Rome agreed.

Italy noticed that he was no longer wearing his hat. His uniform looked different also. It was like Prussia's, only a darker blue. He shook his head. What was he thinking? Holy Rome hadn't worn the outfit he was thinking of since they were both children. Something must be wrong with his memory. He shrugged it off as another side effect of going back in time so much.

"Are you okay Italy?" Holy Rome asked.

"I'm fine," Italy assured him.

Japan and Prussia had already started making their way to the kitchen, where they found a broken plate on the floor. Japan picked up the largest piece and pocketed it.

"Just in case we need it," he explained. "Shall we explore more of the house?"

"Let's go back to the front door," Italy requested. "Maybe the rest of the nations will come along too and we can meet them."

"I doubt that will happen," Prussia said. "But going back might be a good idea. We don't want to get lost."

As they walked back along the corridor, Italy concentrated on wishing. To his delight, the second they were back in the entrance hall, the door opened and France looked inside.

"The rumors say there are ghosts in here," Russia's voice came from outside.

"What are you four doing here?" France asked.

"Who are you talking to?" England's voice snapped.

"It's Italy, Prussia, Japan, and Holy Rome," France replied.

"Well then move your fat ass so I can get in and see my fratello!"

Italy was shocked to hear his brother's voice, but not unhappy. He supposed that his wish had unintentionally brought his brother, and probably Spain as well, to the mansion.

France was pushed out of the way and Romano stormed into the mansion, followed by the others. Italy smiled. It was so good to see all his friends again, smiling and laughing and teasing each other. But he couldn't quite shake the feeling someone was missing. He surveyed the group.

Who was missing?

Was it Canada? America? England? France? Russia? China? Spain? Romano?

No.

He looked over the three who had arrived with him.

Japan. Prussia. Holy Rome.

They were all there. He supposed he was getting paranoid. All the time loops and death must be destroying his reasoning. Yes. That was it. He smiled as Romano started yelling at him. Next, the monster would come and scare them all, but Italy would make sure they all stayed together. And he'd tell them everything and they'd understand and then they'd all go get the key. Then they could escape together and everything would be alright. This time, no one would have to die.

"Italy," Holy Rome's voice called him.

"What is it?" he asked, turning around.

But Holy Rome was talking quietly with Japan, nowhere near where he had heard the voice.

Italy shrugged. He must have just been hearing things.

"Pay attention to me, Veneziano!" Romano demanded.

Italy smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm listening!"

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><p>Thanks for reading.<p>

Review with your brilliant fan theories.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

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><p>"I don't believe it," Lithuania muttered.<p>

"I, like, totally told you it would work," Poland replied with a triumphant smile.

Lithuania shook his head.

"I wasn't talking about that," he said. "What I don't believe is the fact that you actually carry pink paint around in your purse."

"Of course I do," Poland replied. "It's, like, totally useful."

"When is it ever useful?" Lithuania asked. "Aside from making weird aliens so ashamed of their appearance that they run away?"

"It has, like, tons of uses," Poland insisted.

"Please, enlighten me," Lithuania requested.

"Like this," Poland declared, reaching up to draw something on Lithuania's cheek with his paint-smeared fingers.

After a second, he stepped back to survey his handiwork.

"That is, like, totally cute!" he declared.

"What did you draw on my face?" Lithuania asked.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Poland. It was just that, okay, he didn't trust Poland. Not when pink paint was involved. He reached up to rub it off, but Poland grabbed his hand.

"You can't do that," he insisted. "It would, like, totally ruin it."

Lithuania sighed and returned his hand to his side. If he kept trying to rub it off, Poland would probably do something even more stupid and embarrassing.

"Just please promise me it isn't too ridiculous," he begged.

Poland just laughed.

_I'm so screwed,_ Lithuania decided.

XXXXX

A heavy silence hung over the piano room. England sat on the piano bench, coldly ignoring everything around him; America slumped in the corner with his knees pulled close to his chest; and France stood in the doorway, hoping for some sign that this wasn't the end. Canada had muttered some excuse and wandered off a while ago. France silently suspected he just couldn't take the heaviness that had settled over their group like a cloud.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked.

"What can we do?" England asked with a sigh. "Unless I regain some of my power, there's no way to go back in time."

France could think of no response. The room was once again silent.

"Play something, England," America whispered after several long minutes.

France turned to look at him. England didn't move.

"On the piano," he clarified. "It's too quiet in here. You're not as good as Austria, but you're not bad, either."

Another time, England might have taken offense at being compared unfavorably to Austria. France might have offered his own musical skills. But now, England simply turned to the piano and set his fingers on the keys. A few harsh notes rang out in the silence as England's hands searched for the right notes to start the piece. The room was still for a few more heartbeats, before he launched into a dark, haunting melody. France recognized it as a song from 'The Phantom of the Opera.' It filled the silence, but the dark song was oppressing in its own way. Still, it seemed to be helping America. The younger nation had stood up and inched closer to the piano. Squinting without his glasses, America kept his eyes trained on England's hands as he stood leaning on the piano, as if trying to absorb every note.

France stepped out of the room, leaving the two of them caught up in their own little world.

"France!"

He turned to see Prussia and China racing up the corridor. Both skidded to a halt in front of him and attempted to catch their breath.

"That England playing?" Prussia asked.

France nodded.

"_Oui_."

"Good," Prussia replied. "I was worried it was another one of those things."

"Care to explain what's going on?" France asked.

"I was in the annex with Russia," China began. "And we were attacked."

"Canada and I had followed them, so we jumped in to help," Prussia continued. "But the monster was too strong. I grabbed what I thought was Canada and ran, but it was China instead. And we don't know what happened to Russia or Canada. They're still down there."

"How could you confuse China for Canada?" France asked.

"I just grabbed the nearest person," Prussia explained. "I thought Canada was standing next to me."

France sighed.

"You're hopeless."

"Come on!" China interrupted. "We have to go back and help them. Just grab England and America and let's go."

"Leave England and America," France suggested. "They're in no shape to fight."

"Fine!" China agreed. "Can we just go?"

"Of course," France agreed. "Let us hurry. We must rescue my _petite Mathieu._"

"Russia too!" China insisted.

The three took off down the halls.

XXXXX

The last notes seemed to hang in the still air as England finished the song. America hoped he would continue playing, but England's hands remained unmoving.

"America?" England called.

"I'm right here," America told him.

"Oh."

England turned his head towards the sound of America's voice. America wondered why he bothered pretending. They all knew he couldn't see, and it hurt more to see him try to pretend. Especially for America. He knew this was all his fault. His fault for being such an _idiot_. He tried so hard to rescue England, but it was England who always ended up rescuing him instead. What kind of hero had to be rescued all the time?

"I have your glasses," England said, fishing a hand into his pocket. "Sorry I forgot to give them to you earlier."

"Thanks!"

America couldn't help a slight smile as he replaced Texas on his face.

"But, when did you find them? And where?" he asked.

"They were in the annex," England told him. "After you ran out on me, I looked around a bit."

"You were blind," America recalled.

England shrugged.

"I suck at being a hero," America muttered. "You lose your sight trying to protect me from my own stupidity and what do I do? I run away and leave you alone. I don't even know why I ran. I guess I thought if I could get away it wouldn't be real or something. I'm such an _idiot_!"

"It's my fault too," England replied. "I could have let you help me, instead of always being so overprotective. I forget how much you've grown sometimes. I forget that I have limits. You're pretty strong, if a bit impulsive. You probably could have beaten that monster if I hadn't been so quick to try and pull you out of the way."

"Not on my own," America admitted. "I knew it, too. Those things are too strong."

"We probably could have beaten it if we actually tried fighting together," England remarked.

"Care to test that theory?" America asked, looking over England's shoulder.

"What do you mean?" England asked.

His voice suggested he already knew the answer. America said it aloud anyway.

"There's one standing right behind you."

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><p>Thanks for reading.<p>

Author's Note: That was a pretty fast update for me. Don't expect that to happen often. Also, I forgot to mention it, but last chapter incorporated an idea from HaruWitch. Thanks for all the ideas everyone, and keep 'em coming. Anyone have any guesses on what Poland drew on Liet's cheek or which 'Phantom' song England played on the piano?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Not mine

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><p>Canada watched, helpless with terror, as the monster approached him. Up close, it was even more frightening than he could have imagined. Even worse, a limp Kumading was clutched in its foul claws. Canada knew he couldn't leave his bear in the monster's horrible clutches, but he was helpless to do otherwise. And Prussia and China had run off god-knows-where, leaving him all alone.<p>

"Move out of the way, Canada."

Oh, that's right. He wasn't all alone. Russia was still here. Canada stepped to the side as Russia unleashed an attack on the creature. The monster wasn't destroyed, but it did drop Kumalive. Canada rushed forward to grab his friend.

"Canada, run," Russia ordered.

"But you-" Canada began.

"I'll be right behind you," Russia promised. "Get moving."

Canada looked up at Russia's deadly serious face and ran. He wasn't sure where he was going or how he was going to get there. He just ran. A minute or so later, Russia caught up with him, a grim smile gracing his face.

"Did you kill it?" Canada asked nervously.

Russia shook his head.

"You can't kill those things," he said. "They can only be banished back to that room we saw."

"How do you know that?" Canada asked.

Russia didn't answer. Canada's sense of unease heightened.

"Your bear's bleeding," Russia suddenly pointed out.

Canada skidded to a halt and held Kumajim up for inspection. Russia was right. The bear's pure white fur was stained red in several places.

"Kumalin!" Canada shrieked. "You're hurt!"

His mind raced. What should he do? Bandages, right? But where was he going to find them? And he wasn't even exactly sure how to treat a polar bear's wounds, anyway. Did you need some sort of medicine or something?

Canada was brought back to reality as Kumadojo's weight disappeared suddenly from his arms. He took in the scene in front of him, decided his eyes were lying, held them shut for several moments, and opened them again. The scene hadn't changed. Russia was standing in front of him, holding Kumaking and bandaging the bear's wounds with his scarf. Wait, no, he was wearing his scarf.

"Belarus gave me a new scarf, remember?" Russia explained. "I figured I could put this old one to good use."

"T-thank you," Canada stammered.

"We should get out of the hall," Russia muttered. "I think I can sense another creature approaching."

Canada nodded. Russia tried the nearest door and, finding it unlocked, stepped into the room. Canada followed. He recognized this room. It was the library on the first floor. Russia carried Kumaplink towards the back of the room and Canada followed nervously. He wanted his bear back in his own arms and away from Russia.

Russia casually stopped by one of the tables in the room and picked up a sheet of paper, skimming it carefully. Canada took the opportunity to take back Kumalingo, whom Russia had finished bandaging. He felt a little more confident with his friend in his arms.

"What's going on?" he asked. "You've been acting really weird. I want to know what you're up to."

"Everyone's acting weird," Russia pointed out. "Our situation is rather stressful."

"That's not it," Canada replied. "A lot of things don't add up. The notes you keep looking at, for example. How you seem to know too much about this place. And those calls. Your phone is turned off, so how are you talking to people on it?"

Russia glared at Canada.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted.

Canada refused to allow himself to be cowed by Russia's impressive size and cruel stare. He hugged Kumathing tightly, until the small bear yelped in pain as Canada accidentally put pressure on his wounds.

"I noticed that your phone was off a little while ago," Canada explained. "I thought it was kind of odd, especially when people started calling and no one could reach your phone. And then I started noticing all sorts of things. So, I want to know what you're up to."

Russia smirked.

"Do you really?"

* * *

><p>Liechtenstein tried to hold her brother's gun steady and fired at the monster. Once again, her aim was off and the bullet barely even hit the target. She was starting to wish that Switzerland had given her weapons training along with all that safety stuff he drilled into her head. The gun worked well enough, but she had no clue how to aim it. The monster continued approaching. Hungary swooped in and hit it with her frying pan, but the creature swatted her away in annoyance.<p>

"I hate to say this, but I don't think we'll be able to hold out much longer," Hungary remarked bitterly.

She was wounded in several places. Most of the wounds had been sustained when Hungary tried to protect her. Liechtenstein felt incredibly guilty. She wanted to help her friends, but she felt so useless. She had no skill for fighting.

"Liechtenstein, get out of the way," Hungary ordered. "If you get hurt, your brother will kill me."

"But I want to help," Liechtenstein insisted.

"You can help by getting out of the way," Hungary told her coldly. "I can handle this on my own."

"You can't!" Liechtenstein cried out. "You'll get hurt more."

Hungary growled and shoved Liechtenstein to the side, taking another hit that had been meant for the fragile smaller nation.

"That all you've got?" she taunted the monster, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth.

Liechtenstein winced. Even Hungary couldn't win this on her own.

Suddenly, a knife flew through the air and imbedded itself in the monster's head. Liechtenstein turned to find where it had come from.

Belarus stood there, murder glinting in her dark eyes, already reaching for another knife. Ukraine stood behind her, looking scared but determined.

"Leave my friends alone," Belarus ordered.

Even the monster wasn't foolish enough to disobey her. It slowly faded away, leaving her knife to fall to the ground. Belarus unflinchingly approached the spot where it had stood and retrieved the weapon.

"Are you two okay?" she asked.

"We'll be fine," Hungary told her. "Thank you for saving us."

Belarus nodded stiffly, clearly unaccustomed to thanks.

"Hey! It's the girls!" a voice called out.

"Thank God," replied a second voice.

Liechtenstein turned to see Poland and Lithuania running towards them.

"Are you two okay?" Hungary asked.

"We're fine," Lithuania assured her. "Listen, have you seen Latvia and Estonia?"

Hungary shook her head.

"We haven't," she said. "Did you see them, Belarus?"

"No."

"Do you think they're in trouble?" Ukraine asked nervously.

"Well, like, last time I saw them, they were in, like, huge danger," Poland explained. "But when I brought Liet back to help, they were, like, gone. Is that totally weird or what?"

"There weren't any signs of a struggle," Lithuania added. "I didn't even see any blood."

"Are you sure you were in the right place?" Hungary asked.

"Just because your ex-husband is, like, hopeless with directions doesn't mean I am," Poland retorted angrily.

The two stared each other down for a minute. Liechtenstein expected Poland to look away quickly- Hungary's glare was _scary_- but he held his own pretty well.

"We're wasting time," Belarus pointed out bluntly. "If Latvia and Estonia are lost, we should go find them."

No one could argue with her logic.

"Maybe we should split up so we can cover more ground," Ukraine suggested.

"Good idea," Hungary agreed. "I'll go with Belarus and Ukraine. Liechtenstein, you go with Poland and Lithuania."

Liechtenstein nodded.

"Okay."

Hungary, Belarus, and Ukraine set off. Liechtenstein looked at her new companions.

"Mr. Lithuania, why do you have a pink heart on your face?"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long! I've been ridiculously busy and my muse decided to go on vacation. So, you got your answer to what Poland drew on Liet's face. A lot of people guessed it. Good job, guys :D As for what Iggy was playing on the piano: I never really decided. I was kind of thinking "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" or "All I Ask of You" would fit the scene. But I deliberately wrote it so you can imagine whatever song you like, so everyone got that one right :D<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I think you've gotten the point by now.

Author's Note: This chapter largely came about thanks to a request from littlecloudflower. It also incorporates a request from Medli45, a quote from the actual game, and (very briefly) an idea from VicodinFlavoredMints. (If you see me using an idea you gave me without crediting you, remind me. I probably just forgot.) And does anyone have any ideas on Spain and Romano? Cause I'm still not sure what to do about them.

* * *

><p>"<em>We probably could have beaten it if we actually tried fighting together," England remarked. <em>

"_Care to test that theory?" America asked, looking over England's shoulder._

"_What do you mean?" England asked._

_His voice suggested he already knew the answer. America said it aloud anyway._

"_There's one standing right behind you."_

England automatically turned his head to look at the creature, before his mind caught up to his body and reminded him that he couldn't see it. He could feel it though. A sort of evil presence radiated from behind him.

"How close?" he asked America.

"Too close," was America's only reply.

"I need an exact distance," England insisted.

"Why?"

England didn't reply. He couldn't. He knew what he had to do, but America wouldn't like it.

"You're going to use magic, aren't you?" America realized. "You can't do that! You'll kill yourself!"

"Do you have a better idea?" England snapped. "If only one of us can get out of here, I'd much prefer it be you. I'm just a burden to everyone without my sight."

The presence was getting closer. A few more steps and England would be able to pinpoint its exact location with his sixth sense.

"England! I won't let you kill yourself!" America screamed. "I have my gun. I can kill it!"

"You can't kill it," England told him. "These things don't die."

Just a little closer…

"England!"

England felt something crash into him and push him to the side. Judging by the fact that he was still alive, it had to have been America.

"What did you do that for?" he asked, attempting to sit up.

America's strong hands grasped his shoulders and held him to the floor.

"England, don't," he pleaded in a voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to see you sacrificing yourself for me again."

"Well than what are you going to do?" England asked.

A gunshot rang out.

"That."

"That will take too long," England told him. "If you just let me up, I can banish him in a few seconds."

"And die in the process!" America pointed out.

A second gunshot echoed in the still room.

"Stay away!" America screamed.

His weight shifted slightly.

"You said I could've taken it," he reminded England.

"I was just trying to cheer you up," England retorted.

"Liar!" America accused. "Let me protect you, please. I can do this. I _need _to do this."

England considered for a moment. Maybe, just this once, he could rely on America.

"You have two minutes before I magic that thing out of here," England decided.

"Thanks!"

Another series of gunshots rang out. Then came the horrible grating voice of the monster.

"You…Will…Not…Escape…"

America cried out, but England couldn't tell if it was in surprise or pain. He hoped it was the former and not the latter.

Another gunshot.

"England!" America screamed.

Suddenly, he was closer. England could feel his hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" England asked.

"Oh, good, you're okay," America observed. "You spaced out there for a minute."

"I'm fine," England assured him.

"Great, because I think I have a way to get some of your magic back," America bragged.

"And what, pray tell, is that?" England asked, automatically falling back into the condescending voice he used whenever America made a suggestion.

"You could at least listen to what it is before you dismiss it as useless!" America snapped.

"I'm sorry. Go on."

"The shield-y thing the past you gave me," America began. "You can take it back from me, right? You can take back that power?"

"I could," England admitted.

"Then do it!" America demanded.

"I can't put you in danger like that," England insisted.

"You're putting me in danger by refusing to let me help you!" America screamed. "I'm not a kid anymore, and I'm not your little brother. I don't need your protection. I need you to fight by my side. And I need you to have the strength to do that."

England winced as America deliberately restated the words he had used that day in the rain, so long ago. When had the boy become so cunning?

"I'll do it," he agreed. "Just fire a few shots at the creature to keep him out of our way for a moment."

America's gun fired several shots in the direction of the monster.

England placed a hand on America's chest and began to call the magic within America back to him.

For some reason, it wouldn't come. He strengthened his call, focusing everything he had on taking back the magic he had given America. Something weird was going on.

A sudden jolt and he fell backwards. He lost contact with America, but that didn't matter. A steady stream of magic cascaded from America and flew into his body. So much. More than would have been needed to sustain the shield spell. Much more. Why was there so much power? But he already knew the answer, even as the question occurred to him. To protect America. His past self must have stored all the power he had left in America, so that his future self could protect America.

The last thin strands of magic coiled themselves within England.

"Open your eyes," a voice called from far away.

He did so. It was as easy as breathing. America's worried face slowly came into focus.

"England! Are you okay?" America asked. "You just flew backwards! What happened?"

"I'm fine," England told him. "Now get off me. We have a monster to fight, don't we?"

"Are you strong enough?" America asked.

"America, I'm stronger than I've been in a long time," England assured him. "Now, I don't think that monster's going to stand around all day waiting for us to finish talking. We have to fight."

America nodded and stood up.

"Need a hand?" he asked.

England nodded and accepted the gesture.

"_Legilimens,_" he whispered.

"What'd you just do?" America asked.

"I linked our powers," England explained. "Fire your gun at the monster."

America did so, as England whispered another spell.

"_Sectumsempra._"

The bullet reached the creature and exploded. The monster staggered backwards.

America gasped.

"That was amazing."

"One more time," England ordered.

America fired the gun, England whispered the spell, and again the bullet exploded in the monster's face. England could feel the monster's weakness. A banishing spell would be simple right now. But as he was about to say the words, he looked at America. Maybe he could let America be the hero this time.

"_Their head, that's their weak point,_" England whispered in America's mind.

"Did you just say something in my head?" America asked.

"Yes," England told him. "Now I'd advise you to act on it."

"Can you read my mind?" America wondered.

"Only thoughts you want me to see," England assured him. "Now hurry up and finish that thing."

"Right."

A bullet exploded out of America's gun and buried itself in the monster's head. The creature slowly faded away.

"I did it!" America cheered. "I told you I could do it!"

England smiled. America suddenly wrapped him in a tight hug, which England hesitantly returned.

"I saved you, so that makes me a hero! Right?"

"I suppose it does," England conceded. "But you didn't exactly save me. We saved each other."

America laughed.

"Yeah, I guess we did."

"By the way," England remarked. "I think there's a question you should ask me again."

America looked confused for a moment before his face burst in an even bigger grin. He held up his hand in front of England's face.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

* * *

><p><em>England, powerless, gripped America's hand tightly as he waited for the end to come. At least he knew his sacrifice wasn't completely in vain. <em>_He turned his head to look at America- his America- and found the younger nation staring back at him, afraid but smiling. That was all he needed to know he'd made the right choice. Present or future, it didn't matter. America was America and England would do whatever it took to protect his former colony. He knew his future self would do the same. He wished himself luck._

_"America, I paid you back._

_Please, take my power to the future._

_If you're a hero, you can do it, can't you?"_

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading.<p>

Review and tell me what you think should happen next (How do I get Spain and Romano back to the right time? etc)


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

><p>"Open your eyes!" Italy screamed. "Please! Open your eyes!"<p>

Japan's corpse remained silent, his blood pooling on the floor and coating the piano. Italy looked up at Holy Rome.

"This isn't supposed to happen!" he screamed. "It's supposed to go however I want it to!"

Holy Rome didn't reply.

"We were supposed to stay together when the monster appeared! We were supposed to find the key and escape! All of us together! You said that everything in this place would do whatever I wanted it to!"

"There are some things you can't change," Holy Rome told him. "No matter how hard you try. Not this time."

"But why?" Italy asked. "Why?"

"I can't give you the answers," Holy Rome told him, guiding him out of the room. "I can only tell you that you don't have forever to find them. Please. Figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Italy asked with a smile.

He had the strangest feeling he should be sad. But why? Everything was going perfectly. They had been separated by the monster, but he would just find them again and everything would be okay.

"Let's go find France, China, and Russia," he said. "They'll be the first to get hurt."

Holy Rome looked disappointed.

"What about Japan?" he asked quietly.

Italy cocked his head to the side quizzically.

"Who's that?"

* * *

><p>Prussia slammed open the door to the annex.<p>

"Canada? Russia?"

"What's the emergency?" Russia asked calmly.

He and Canada were making their way up the stairs to the main floor. Prussia's eyes locked on the near-invisible nation. Canada looked scared. Really scared. He clung to his injured polar bear as if his life depended on it. Russia smiled cryptically.

"I heard you two were in danger," France remarked. "It looks like I was misinformed."

He seemed oblivious, but Prussia could tell he was secretly worried about Canada. Something was very wrong here.

"Are you two okay?" China asked.

"We're fine," Russia assured him.

"Canada, I'm sorry I left you behind," Prussia said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Russia saved me and Kumading," Canada whispered. "I'm okay."

Prussia didn't believe him, and France clearly didn't either. But what could they do?

"Oh! I forgot to tell you guys!" Prussia suddenly realized. "Italy's alive!"

"You just remembered this vital piece of information?" China snapped.

"Well, I was a bit busy earlier," Prussia retorted. "Saving _your_ neck, I might add."

"This is good, right?" Russia observed. "If Italy's alive, we still have a chance to get out."

"We should probably go tell England and America," France pointed out. "They've both been really depressed."

"We should stick together anyways," Canada pointed out quietly. "Bad things happen whenever we split up."

"Where are they?" Russia asked.

"The piano room," Prussia told him.

Russia frowned.

"That room is dangerous," he remarked.

"You sound like you know something," China observed.

Russia didn't reply.

Prussia had a terrible feeling that there was something going on here that he didn't understand. He hated that feeling.

"Let's go."

Somehow, quiet Canada took the lead, the others following him to the second floor. They found the piano room empty, but before they could get worried, America's loud voice rang out from the hall.

"Why on earth would you expect me to keep an eye on him?"

"You were the one who could actually see!" England's voice retorted. "I thought I could at least trust you to notice if the bloody frog had disappeared!"

"You didn't notice he was missing either!" America was quick to point out.

"I was a bit distracted!"

"_Angleterre! Amerique!_" France called. "There you are!"

The two dashed into the piano room.

"You might have told us before you ran off, you bloody frog!" England accused.

"I'm deeply sorry for depriving you of my beauty without asking permission," France teased, taking advantage of England's blindness to sneak towards America.

"Can it, froggy!" England retorted. "And keep your hands away from America!"

"Aren't you blind?" Prussia asked.

England turned to look at him.

"I got better," he deadpanned.

"What he means is that the hero totally saved him and got a bunch of his magic back!" America declared.

England rolled his eyes.

"Oh, by the way, Italy's alive."

Prussia deliberately dropped that bombshell as calmly and quietly as possible.

It took both England and America several seconds to process the information.

"Wait. So, he's not dead?" America asked.

"That is generally the definition of alive," Canada pointed out.

"We should go up and see him," Russia suggested.

Somehow, the way he said it made everyone uneasy.

* * *

><p>"So, what do we do now?" Romano asked. "Come on! You're the boss! Right, bastard? Can't you figure out something to do?"<p>

"I don't have any more ideas than you do, Lovi," Spain told him. "I guess we just wait for the portal to reopen."

"And what if it doesn't?" Romano wondered. "What then, idiot?"

Spain shrugged.

"No idea," he admitted.

"You're useless," Romano muttered.

"I know."

"You were supposed to argue with me," Romano told him.

"But it's true," Spain insisted.

"Didn't we just go over this?" Romano asked. "You're not useless! We need everyone's help to escape!"

"What would be different if I hadn't come?" Spain asked.

"Don't ask me!" Romano shouted. "But things would be different! I know it! We have to have everyone!"

"Romano? Spain?"

Startled, the two turned to see China standing in the door, leaning heavily against the doorframe. Blood soaked his clothes and dripped onto the floor.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked.

"We came looking for you guys," Spain lied. "Romano was worried about his brother, so we came here to find you and got trapped inside. You wouldn't happen to have a key, would you?"

China laughed mirthlessly.

"A key? I wish."

"What happened to you?" Romano asked.

"There are some weird monsters running around," China told them. "Run if you see them. I made the mistake of trying to fight one on my own."

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Spain asked.

"Too late for that," China said. "Just leave me alone so I can die in peace."

"You can't die, idiot!" Romano insisted.

"Don't waste your time on me," China ordered. "Just get out of here. Find the others. They have to know about Russia." China laughed again. "That bastard."

"What did he do?" Spain asked.

China coughed weakly and sank down to the floor.

"Russia has a plan…"

"Yes? What's the plan?"

But it was clear that it was already too late.

"You can't die on me!" Romano screamed, shaking the body as if that would help. "Tell me what Russia's plan is!"

"Relax, Lovi," Spain said. "It's probably something unique to this time loop. It doesn't really matter."

"And what if it's not unique to this loop?" Romano countered. "What if Russia's secretly plotting to kill us all? What if everything has been a set-up since the beginning?"

"You're blowing things out of proportion," Spain insisted. "All we know is that China says Russia has some sort of plan."

"Spain, I'm scared," Romano admitted quietly. "I don't like this."

"Don't be scared," Spain said, stepping forwards to put a hand on Romano's shoulder. "The boss is here to protect you!"

Romano cracked a slight smile.

"Thanks."

All of a sudden, the world vanished around them in a flash of brilliant light. Seconds later, they found themselves back in the safe room. England stood in front of them, holding his spellbook. Most of the other nations were standing nearby, with the exception of Germany and Veneziano.

"What the hell happened?" Romano asked. "Why'd that portal of yours disappear? You said it was safe!"

England winced.

"Leave him alone!" America snapped. "He nearly killed himself trying to save my life! Don't you dare complain about a minor inconvenience!"

"I don't care!" Romano yelled. "Where's my brother and the potato bastard!"

"Italy's unconscious," Prussia told him calmly. "West hasn't left his side. They're right over there."

Romano stormed out of the circle in the direction Prussia was pointing. Veneziano was laid out on one of the beds. Germany sat on the edge of the bed and held Veneziano's hand tightly in his own.

Romano stopped a few feet away and stood there awkwardly.

"Why?" he asked. "Why is he the one laying there unconscious and not you? I trusted you to protect him. Did you know that, potato bastard? So why didn't you save him?"

"I wasn't there," Germany said quietly. "He ran off too quickly. I couldn't keep up. By the time I got there, he was already…already…I thought he was dead."

"I think he was dead," Romano admitted. "For a few moments, anyway. But someone helped him. Somehow, I think it was you. I don't know how, but I think you saved his life. So, potato bastard, I'm going to keep trusting you to keep him safe. You'd better not disappoint me again."

"I won't," Germany promised.

"And tell Veneziano to come back. I don't know why, but I think he'll hear it if you say it."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Several wonderful people(littlecloudflower, oceanlover4ever, and moonlightninja55) reminded me of the rather obvious fact that now that England had his magic he could bring Spain and Romano back. Thanks guys, for reminding me not to overthink things! :D<p>

Also, now can you figure out who the voice in England's head was? I thought it was pretty obvious, but maybe that's just me...

Oh! And littlecloudflower on Deviantart wrote an awesome poem inspired by the last chapter! There's a link in my profile. Go check it out!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: No, I have not magically gained ownership of Hetalia or HetaOni since last chapter.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Lithuania?" Liechtenstein ventured.<p>

She felt slightly more comfortable talking to him. Poland was…weird.

"What is it?" Lithuania asked.

"I think there are some people over there," she said, pointing to a group of moving shapes in the distance.

"I think you're right," Lithuania observed. "Austria, I think. And it looks like he has Korea and your brother with him. But who are those other two people?"

"Maybe it's, like, Latvia and Estonia?" Poland guessed.

"Maybe," Lithuania agreed. "Let's go find out."

He and Poland ran towards the figures, and Liechtenstein hurried to catch up. As they neared the group, it became clear that the two extra people were in fact Latvia and Estonia.

"Like, where've you guys been?" Poland asked. "We were looking everywhere for you!"

"Where were you?" Estonia retorted. "You said you were bringing reinforcements."

"I totally did," Poland told him. "You guys just weren't, like, there."

"You must have taken a while," Latvia said. "We waited around there for two hours after Austria, Switzerland, and Korea came and saved us. We thought you weren't coming."

"But I was back within, like, ten minutes."

Liechtenstein wouldn't have put it past him to exaggerate things, but Poland seemed completely serious.

"You must have gotten really lost," Austria remarked. "The clearing we found them pretty far that way."

He pointed opposite of the direction they had come.

"Actually, it was that way," Lithuania pointed out, gesturing in the other direction.

"Like, learn to use a map!" Poland joked.

"Actually, Austria's right," Korea replied. "It was definitely that way."

"No, Liet's, like, totally right," Poland insisted.

"Well, clearly someone's wrong!" Switzerland pointed out.

"What if this place sort of circles around?" Liechtenstein suggested quietly, hoping to stop the fighting. "Then they could both be right."

"Still doesn't explain how they were gone when Poland came back," Switzerland, the only one who had been listening to her, remarked.

Austria and Poland, meanwhile, were continuing their argument, and it was rapidly turning personal.

"Well, at least I don't get lost on the way to the grocery store, four-eyes!"

"You know, that's not very intimidating coming from a man who usually wears dresses."

"Can you both calm down?" Lithuania requested.

"Um, Lithuania, you have something on your face," Latvia observed.

Lithuania looked at the ground.

"I know."

"You shouldn't let him push you around," Estonia said.

"I don't mind," Lithuania replied. "He's much nicer than Russia."

"Yeah? Well so's your face!" Poland declared in response to something Austria said.

Liechtenstein, busy listening to the Baltics' conversation, hadn't heard the original insult, but she figured from the furious expression on Poland's face that it had been pretty bad.

"Hey everyone! Now isn't a good time to be fighting!" Korea declared. "Ending arguments peacefully originated in me, so I'll settle this. You're both right!"

"That doesn't make sense," Austria told him.

"He and Liechtenstein might have a point," Switzerland said. "I've noticed some pretty weird stuff about the geography of this place. I don't think it's consistent."

"Like, what are you talking about?" Poland asked.

"I have a pretty good sense of direction," Switzerland told them. "But my internal map's been really messed up ever since we came here. It's almost as if the landscape is changing around us."

"You might be onto something," Estonia noted. "I could've sworn the mansion was way over that way just a few minutes ago, but now it's definitely closer."

"Now that you mention it, I think I walked by the same tree five times while going in a straight line," Latvia admitted.

"So now we're not only lost, but we're lost on the enormous grounds of a mansion where the ground shifts under us and we don't notice it?" Austria summarized. "We'd better see if we can find Hungary."

He took off in a seemingly random direction. Poland looked about to say something, But Lithuania hurriedly shushed him.

"We might as well follow Austria," Switzerland remarked. "He can't get us any more lost than we already are."

"Big bruder, can you teach me how to use your gun?" Liechtenstein requested quietly.

"Not right now," Switzerland told her. "Maybe later. But I really don't think that's necessary. I'm here. I'll protect you."

Liechtenstein sighed. Why did no one take her seriously? She just wanted to help, but no one would let her.

* * *

><p>"Sorry," China whispered. "This is where I fall."<p>

"No! You can't!" Italy sobbed.

He looked up at Holy Rome.

"You promised!" he screamed. "You promised I could save them!"

"I didn't," Holy Rome replied evenly.

"But you said things would happen however I wanted them to," Italy whispered.

"I lied," Holy Rome told him. "I had to. But that doesn't matter. There's something important you're forgetting. Please remember."

Italy turned away from him, tears flooding his eyes.

"I'm glad we could at least make a new breach," Russia remarked.

He almost didn't seem to notice the many wounds covering his body.

"Come now, Italy, don't cry; just go. If you stay here, that monster is going to show up again."

France was trying to sound comforting, but his injuries were the worst. Italy couldn't understand why he was still trying to help, even as he was dying. Italy never understood why everyone fought to their last breath for his sake. Some of them didn't even like him that much, but they always fought to protect him. Why? Why didn't they save themselves?

"Holy Rome, will you take care of Italy? He's fast on his feet, but it's hard to fight that monster," France continued.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him safe," Holy Rome promised.

France smiled and closed his eyes.

"France?" Italy ventured.

There was no response.

"Quickly," Russia ordered. "Don't let our efforts be in vain. Really, you're so slow on the uptake."

"If you stay here, you're only going to get in the way," China added. "Just get away, quickly."

"I can't," Italy sobbed.

"Italy, we have to go," Holy Rome insisted, gently taking his arm and pulling him towards the door.

Italy smiled as they left the room.

"We're so lucky, aren't we?" he remarked. "We might have been separated from each other, but nobody's died yet. I'm sure we'll be able to save America and England and Canada."

"I'm sure you're right," Holy Rome agreed listlessly.

"What's wrong?" Italy asked.

"Italy, there's something very important that you've forgotten," Holy Rome told him. "You have to remember. Please remember."

"But, I remember everything," Italy insisted, confused.

It was true, he felt like he was missing something, but he was certain that he couldn't have forgotten anything. Not anything important, at least. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Italy, come back."

It was Holy Rome's voice, but it was coming from behind Italy, not in front of him. And Holy Rome's lips hadn't moved.

"Maybe we should check that room again," Italy suggested. "I think I heard something."

"I'm sure it was nothing," Holy Rome said. "Anyway, we should hurry and catch up to America and the others. They're going to need our help."

"Yeah, you're right," Italy agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Some quotes from the actual game in this chap. Anyone have any ideas for what Austria said to make Poland so upset? There's no right or wrong answer. I just want to hear what you guys think. Also, several people mentioned that last chapter was paced too fast. They were right. Sorry about that. Thanks for the constructive criticism(Seriously, I love constructive criticism. It helps me improve.) I hope this chapter is better.<p>

Thanks for reading!

Hope you enjoyed :)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Lady Nightwisp would like to state that she does not own HetaOni or Hetalia, never has, and probably never will.

* * *

><p>"Canada, are you okay?" America asked. "You've been acting kind of weird ever since you got back."<p>

"I'm fine," Canada insisted, but America noticed that he still clung to his bear like a lifeline.

"Listen. If someone's threatening you-" America began.

"No one is threatening me," Canada interrupted. "I'm fine. Completely, totally fine. Stop asking me."

"I have a right to be worried about my brother," America replied.

"Stop worrying," Canada told him. "I'm completely fine. I'm just tired."

It was obvious that Canada was lying, but it was also clear that he wasn't going to tell anyone anything. They had all tried to get something out of him, but his lips remained sealed.

"Go take a nap," America suggested. "That's what half of us are doing anyways. I mean, it's not like there's much else we can do without Italy. He's the one who really knows what's going on around here."

"Yeah, I'll go do that," Canada agreed.

As if in a trance, he walked over to the bed and flopped down. But he kept his glasses on and his eyes remained open, staring at the ceiling. America frowned. Something weird was definitely going on and it was obvious that Russia was somehow involved.

America generally tried to avoid Russia, but there were times when a hero had to make sacrifices for the people he cared about. He approached the large nation, who was sitting at the table and smiling.

"Hey, Russia," he called.

"What is it, America?" Russia asked.

"Listen, I know you did something to my brother," America said. "Leave him alone, okay?"

"I didn't do anything to England," Russia insisted.

"I'm talking about Canada!" America snapped. "I don't know what you're doing to him, but it has to stop! He's terrified. Everyone can tell. And it's obviously your fault!"

"It's not my fault," Russia replied.

"Look here, you commie bastard-"

"America!"

Canada stormed across the room and placed himself firmly between Russia and America.

"He isn't doing anything to me," he declared. "He's not blackmailing me, or threatening me, or hurting me in any way, so leave him alone!"

America shrank under Canada's withering glare. He seemed completely serious. But if it wasn't Russia scaring Canada…?

"Then tell me what's bothering you!" America demanded. "I can help."

"No, you can't," Canada replied. "Just let it go. Just this once?"

"I-"

"Hey, America!" England called across the room. "Can you please come help convince Japan to let me into the kitchen?"

Russia laughed.

"You'd better go save the world from England's cooking," he remarked.

America grinned, the prospect of heroics causing him to momentarily forget that he needed to help Canada.

"America to the rescue!" he announced, running off to find a way to get England as far from the kitchen as possible.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Where are you three going?" Romano yelled.<p>

Spain paused on his way out of the room and smiled.

"Don't worry, Lovi," he called. "Boss Spain won't be gone for too long. I'm sure you can survive without me for an hour or so!"

"Shut up!" Romano snapped. "I'm not worried about you or anything. I just wanted to know what you three are planning on doing!"

"We're just going to have a look around," France told him. "Just to see if we can find something."

"Don't worry, we'll bring Spain back safe and sound," Prussia added. "You can count on it!"

"Shut up," Romano snapped. "Stupid bastards."

But Spain knew the insults were more of a reflex than anything. Romano's way of showing he cared.

Honestly, Spain found it kind of adorable that Romano was worried. He liked the thought of having someone to come back to. Assuming he survived long enough to come back, that is.

He shook off the negative thoughts and hurried after his two oldest friends.

Prussia led them down to the second floor and stopped.

"I think we're far enough away from them," he remarked.

"So, do you mind explaining what you brought us out here for?" France asked. "Why can't you tell anyone else about this secret of yours?"

"Well, I could tell the others," Prussia admitted. "But I don't want to. It's kind of weird, and I'm not even sure it's not my imagination."

"Enough suspense," Spain declared. "Just tell us what you're talking about."

"There's this voice," Prussia told them. "I've heard it twice now. It always comes right after we defeat one of the monsters. It congratulates me. Or maybe all of us. I don't really know. But it's starting to bother me. I don't know who it is -what it is- and that kind of scares me."

"So that's why we had to come all the way out here," France teased. "The almighty Prussia doesn't want to admit he's scared."

"Honestly, I just didn't want Russia or China to know," Prussia told him. "They're up to something. And it would be suspicious to have a meeting and only leave them out. So I figured I'd just tell you guys and hope you could help me figure it out."

France and Spain nodded. They both shared Prussia's suspicions. Russia and China were up to something, that much was clear, but their goal was anyone's guess.

"What exactly are we figuring out?" Spain asked.

"I'm not sure," Prussia admitted. "What the voice is, I suppose."

"Who does it sound like?" France asked.

"It's kind of familiar," Prussia remarked. "But not really in an 'I've heard that before' kind of way. More like something I just instinctively recognize, even if I don't know why."

"Maybe it's someone from your future?" France suggested.

Prussia shook his head.

"Someone you knew when you were a child?" Spain wondered.

"Maybe," Prussia admitted. "And another thing: There's also this weird feeling I got when I was near Italy after we thought he died. Like there was someone else there, or something."

"Is it a bad feeling?" France asked.

"No," Prussia replied. "It's just... it has a really nostalgic feeling. Like something that I felt a long time ago and forgot about..."

"What could it be?" Spain wondered. "Maybe it has something to do with the voice that only you can hear?"

Prussia shrugged.

"Is the voice different every time you hear it?" France added.

"No, it's always the same," Prussia replied. "So, do either of you have any ideas?"

France and Spain looked at each other.

"None," Spain said. "Sorry, Prussia."

"It's fine," Prussia told him. "I didn't really expect you to. I just wanted to tell someone, really."

"So, should we go back now, or should we look around a little?" France asked.

"I say we look around," Spain said. "I want to see if we can find any way to get out."

"It would be a bit odd if we came back only five minutes after leaving," Prussia agreed. "Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I finally worked in one of the scenes from the preview! Yay! Also, I've wanted to write that scene with America yelling at Russia for ages now. Angry!Protective!America is awesome. Just sayin'.<p>

Out of curiosity, is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo?

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it :D


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Do I own Hetalia or HetaOni? What do you think?

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><p>"Austria, do you even have any idea where the girls are?" Korea asked after they'd been walking for hours.<p>

The landscape around them had remained mostly unchanged, and they had passed several landmarks more than once.

"Of course not," Austria replied. "I'm not psychic. I just hope we can find them eventually."

"We should rest for a while," Switzerland suggested. "I think Liechtenstein's tired."

She wanted to protest, to insist that she was fine, but he was right. She _was_ very tired.

"It's starting to get dark out," Lithuania remarked. "Maybe we should just settle down for the night? This looks like a decent place to rest."

The clearing wasn't very large, nor particularly comfortable looking, but it was out of the woods.

"I, like, second that suggestion," Poland added. "Who knows when we'll find someplace better?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Estonia concurred.

"Are we all in agreement then?" Austria asked.

Everyone nodded.

"It's settled then," he declared. "We'll stop here for the night and find the girls in the morning."

He found the grassiest spot in the clearing and lay down, cushioning his head on his arm. Liechtenstein was lucky enough to have Switzerland, who gave her his coat to use as a blanket, and Poland and the three Baltic states were all huddled together for warmth, but sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable at best. None of the nations had brought many supplies. They hadn't realized how long this would take. And now that they had come, the land itself seemed to be conspiring to keep them here.

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><p>Hungary growled and cursed under her breath as she tripped over another tree root. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that the trees were moving their roots just to trip her up and slow her progress. Curse this darkness! Why had night fallen so quickly?<p>

She cried out in shock as she tripped over something distinctly not root-like. The thing muttered something under its breath about Korea needing to stop walking around before he killed someone. The voice was undeniably familiar.

"Austria?"

He sat up, and she could make out his shocked face more clearly in the thin moonlight.

"Hungary?"

"It's me," she told him. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," he said. "Besides the fact that I've been tripped over three different times tonight."

"Who else tripped over you?" she asked.

"I think it was Korea," he told her. "Does it matter?"

"Actually, yes," she said. "Belarus and Ukraine just disappeared on me. I was hoping you could tell me if they'd come this way."

"Sorry," he replied. "It was dark and I was half asleep."

"Don't worry about it," Hungary told him. "But do you mind helping me look?"

"Why don't we look in the morning?" Austria suggested. "We'll be able to see better. Besides, you should get some sleep."

"I'm not tired!" Hungary insisted.

Austria stood up and took hold of her shoulders.

"I know you're probably going to hit me for saying this, but you need to hear it," he said. "You're not invincible, Hungary. You need rest, just like everyone else. No one is going to think any worse of you for taking a break once in a while."

"I'll sleep later," Hungary insisted.

She hoped he couldn't feel how hard she was fighting to remain standing.

"Hungary, you need rest," Austria told her. "You're tired and you're wounded. If you don't stop to sleep for a while, you'll kill yourself."

"But, I-"

"Hungary, we're not nations anymore!" Austria reminded her. "Not in here. You can't just shrug off fatal wounds. I don't want to tell Italy that he's going to have to relive all of this again just because you were being stubborn."

"I- You're right," Hungary admitted. "I suppose I could just rest for a little bit. Wake me up as soon as it's light."

She knew he wouldn't, but as she found she was too tired to really mind. She simply stretched out on the soft grass and remained awake only long enough to feel Austria drape his jacket over her. Damn that man. He treated her like she was made of glass, but inexplicably she found herself loving him all the more for it.

* * *

><p>Liechtenstein was abruptly woken up as a heavy form crashed on top of her.<p>

"Wh-"

Her question was interrupted by a harsh shhh-ing.

"Now see what you've done!" Belarus' voice hissed.

"I'm sorry," Ukraine sobbed.

"Is he awake?" Belarus asked.

Liechtenstein realized too late that they were referring to her. They must have confused her for Switzerland!

Her wide open eyes were easily spotted in the moonlight. Belarus leaned over and clamped a hand over Liechtenstein's mouth.

"One word and your sister gets it," she warned. "Now, we can't leave you here, now that you've seen us, and we could use your help. Will you come willingly? Just nod your head."

Liechtenstein hurriedly nodded her head.

"Good," Belarus purred. "Ukraine, get off him."

Ukraine's weight lifted off Liechtenstein's body as Ukraine stood up and stepped away.

"Now, Switzerland, stand up," Belarus ordered.

Liechtenstein did so.

"Um, Belarus?" Ukraine whispered.

"Tell me later," Belarus demanded.

"But-"

"We can talk later!" Belarus insisted. "Just run!"

With Belarus's hand still wrapped around her head to cover her mouth, Liechtenstein had trouble running, but she didn't dare stop.

"Belarus!" Ukraine called. "I think we're far enough away now! Can we talk now?"

Belarus stopped abruptly and turned to face her sister. As she did this, she removed her hand from Liechtenstein's mouth.

"What's so important that it can't wait until later?" she asked.

"I'm not Switzerland," Liechtenstein announced quietly. "I'm Liechtenstein."

Belarus spun to face her, taking in the dress under Switzerland's coat, and the ribbon in her hair.

"Ukraine, why didn't you tell me?" she accused.

"I tried to," Ukraine told her. "You wouldn't listen. I'm sorry, sister!"

Belarus swore rapidly in Russian.

"You won't be of any use to us," she told Liechtenstein. "You'll have to go back to the others."

"I can't," Liechtenstein replied. "They won't be in the same spot. The landscape changes."

Belarus once again began swearing in Russian, her word choice earning her a shocked glare from Ukraine.

"Do I have to go back to them?" Liechtenstein asked. "Couldn't I come with you two? I'll try not to be a burden."

The sisters glanced at each other.

"We don't have much of a choice," Ukraine pointed out.

"I don't want her getting hurt," Belarus muttered.

"I'm not just a fragile little girl!" Liechtenstein insisted. "I can take care of myself."

"Sister, we need to help Russia," Ukraine pointed out.

"You're right," Belarus agreed. "She can come. Just don't get in the way, got it?"

Liechtenstein nodded.

"I'd be glad to help you protect your brother."

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><p>Author's Note: I have a love-hate relationship with Belarus. On the one hand, she practically writes herself. On the other, she never cooperates with my plans. I had no idea she and Ukraine had run off until Hungary declared that it had happened. Even more annoyingly, her ideas always work out better than my own would have. It kind of sucks to be shown up by a character living in your head.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine.

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><p>"Canada!" Italy screamed in horror as the nearly invisible nation rushed in to take a blow meant for America.<p>

Italy had come into the room only seconds too late. Just late enough that he couldn't stop Canada from sacrificing himself. Holy Rome hurried to finish off the creature, but Italy couldn't tear his eyes away from the North American brothers.

"Canada?" America gasped, dropping to his knees beside his brother. "Why'd you go and do that? It was aiming for me!"

Canada smiled, even as he was coughing up blood.

"You're my brother," he said. "I'll protect you, America."

"But, I'm the hero," America tried to argue. "I should be protecting you!"

"You're an idiot," Canada told him. "Even heroes need protection sometimes, right? You have to protect the others. Promise me, you'll protect them."

"I swear it," America whispered. "Please, don't die on me."

"I just… need to rest…" Canada whispered as his eyelids slowly fell.

"Canada!" America screamed. "CANADA!"

Italy buried his face in his hands. This was all wrong! He should have saved Canada! Hadn't Holy Rome promised that he could?

"Canada's just unconscious," Holy Rome told America. "You'll have to carry him. We need to go before that thing comes back."

Italy was unsure when exactly Holy Rome had vanquished the monster, but he was glad. In his memories of this loop, that monster attacked America, wounding him before it was defeated by England. At least America and England would be okay. Maybe Canada would be the only one sacrificed.

"America!"

Italy looked up in horror as he heard England scream America's name. The island nation stood in the doorway. Italy followed his gaze to where America was being attacked by the monster. But hadn't Holy Rome just defeated that creature?

Italy looked up at his childhood friend.

"I thought you defeated it," he whispered.

Holy Rome refused to meet his eye.

"I'm sorry, Italy," he said. "It had to happen."

Italy stood up, fists clenched.

"No it didn't!" he declared. "You could have killed that thing and everything would have been okay!"

Holy Rome didn't reply.

Meanwhile, England was ignoring their exchange, focusing his efforts on protecting America and defeating the monster. Italy could only watch in horror.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" England screamed.

Italy sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands, sobbing. He didn't need to watch to see what happened next. The monster would disappear. England would crumple to the ground, only barely alive after using so much of his magic. America would be devastated.

"England! ENGLAND!"

America's broken sobs tore at Italy's heart. How could Holy Rome let this happen?

"There are two beds over here," Holy Rome remarked. "Maybe they'd be a bit more comfortable?"

Italy looked up to watch America carry his brother and England to the beds and carefully lay them out. Now that he'd stopped crying, America seemed almost okay. If you didn't look too closely.

Italy hated seeing America like this. Hopeless. Broken.

"We should go," Holy Rome told Italy.

"No!" Italy insisted. "We can't!"

"It's fine," America promised. "Besides, I want to do these two a favour and stay with them."

"America-"

America sighed.

"No, that isn't it. They can't hear me any more, so I'll tell you in all honesty..._I_ want to stay with them. Till my last moment. Because they're both very important to me."

Italy knew that wasn't everything.

"And because you're going to... protect me."

America made a half-hearted attempt at laughter.

"Yeah. Even though I can't even move any more. But I'm not making a mistake. And I regret nothing."

Italy searched for the words to change things. This shouldn't be happening! But nothing he could say would make a difference.

"Go for it," America insisted. "I wish you luck."

Italy knew he had to go now. He had to find Prussia, and try to save at least him. But he couldn't leave America.

Finally, Holy Rome took hold of his hand and helped him to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Italy," he whispered as he helped Italy out of the room.

"What for?" Italy asked.

Holy Rome wouldn't look at him. Something felt wrong here. He felt… sad.

"Holy Rome? Why am I crying? Did something happen?"

Holy Rome gently wiped the tears away.

"I'm sorry, Italy," he said. "You'll have to remember that on your own. Now, we should go find Prussia."

"Yeah, you're right," Italy agreed, unable to shake the feeling that he should be sad about something.

* * *

><p>"Hey! It's that weird white thing again!" Prussia realized, pointing at the mochi bouncing towards them.<p>

"I was wondering where it had run off to," France remarked.

The mochi bounced excitedly up and down in front of them.

"He's kind of cute, actually," Prussia declared. "Almost as cute as Gilbird!"

The chick in question peeped in protest. Prussia laughed.

"I said 'almost'," he assured his little friend.

Gilbird huffed softly, but settled back on Prussia's shoulder, seemingly mollified.

"Maybe we should take him back to the safe room," Spain suggested, picking up the mochi. "It can't be safe out here for him."

"You're probably right," France agreed. "Don't worry, my little mochi friend. We'll protect you."

The mochi smiled.

"He really does look like America, doesn't he?" Spain remarked. "I mean, if America was a small white blob with facial features."

"You do have a point," France agreed. "It's rather strange, isn't it? The monsters who look like America's alien friend; this mochi creature; the fact that it was America who told us about this place. Everything is connected to America, it seems."

"Eh? Do you mean that America's the villain?" Spain asked.

France shrugged.

"Maybe," he admitted.

"But, didn't Italy tell America?" Prussia asked. "And anyway, America's as much a victim as any of us. You all saw how well he handled England's death, even when it hadn't even happened in this cycle."

"Maybe there are two Americas?" Spain suggested. "I mean, did anyone ever find out exactly what happened during that Civil war of his? Maybe there's a good one and a bad one. The bad one could be doing this and the good one is just as clueless as the rest of us."

"Spain, that's a pretty ridiculous idea," Prussia told him.

"It was just a suggestion," Spain replied.

The mochi in Spain's hands suddenly began struggling, its blue eyes growing wide with terror. The three friends looked at each other and slowly turned around. None of them were particularly surprised to see the grey monster standing there.

"This is like some really un-awesome horror movie right now," Prussia muttered.

"Shut up and run!" France screamed.

The other two needed no more prompting. As one, the three turned and dashed away, hoping that the creature wouldn't catch up to them.

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><p>Author's Note: Is it weird that my favorite parts to write are the ones where I'm tormenting Italy? I kind of love writing angsty stuff…<p>

On another note, I just got Paint it White. Best. Movie. Ever.

Also, Spain's line about there being 2 Americas and the evil one being the Confederate States was inspired by The Result of Squiffie, who suggested the mochi was Confederate America. I love the idea, but I have other plans for mochimerica, so I figured I'd use it as Spain's theory. Seriously, it makes me sad that I can't use all the ideas I get, because they're all awesome.

Thanks for reading :)

Reviews will make me happy.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Let me check… Nope. Not mine.

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><p>"Hey! I found you guys!" Sealand declared loudly as he stumbled into the clearing where several of the other nations were asleep. "Sealand is here to help!"<p>

Well, he hoped they were asleep, but their lack of movement wasn't doing much to bolster his confidence.

"Guys?" he called again, a bit more hesitantly this time. "Guys!"

Finally, Switzerland began to stir. The blond nation felt around for something, and suddenly sat up.

"Liechtenstein!" he called. "Liechtenstein!"

"It's just me," Sealand told him. "What happened here?"

"Liechtenstein?" Switzerland called again.

He looked towards Sealand.

"Have you seen her?" he asked desperately.

Sealand shook his head.

"Nope, sorry," he said. "I can help you look though!"

"But she was here," Switzerland muttered.

"Maybe she had to leave?" Sealand suggested.

"No, she wouldn't do that," Switzerland insisted. "And why is everyone asleep?"

Sealand shrugged.

"You guys sleep pretty deep," he remarked.

"I don't usually," Switzerland told him.

"Hey! Guys! Wake up!" Sealand yelled.

Slowly, one by one, the group began to stir. Korea was the first to wake, followed closely by Poland and Estonia, who then shook Lithuania and Latvia awake. Finally, Austria and Hungary managed to drag themselves back to consciousness.

"What happened?" Korea asked, looking vaguely towards the Baltic trio. "Why are Sealand and Hungary here? Where's that girl who looks like Switzerland?"

"That's what I want to know," Estonia told him.

"Hungary tripped over me in the middle of the night," Austria said. "I made her get some rest. I don't know about anything else though."

"I came to offer my services to help you!" Sealand declared.

"It's too dangerous for you," Lithuania told him.

"Don't worry about me," Sealand replied. "I'm very brave!"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Lithuania muttered.

Sealand pouted. Why did they keep dismissing him?

"But I know something important!" he insisted.

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><p>Japan looked up from the tea he was preparing to see Prussia, France, and Spain return. The trio looked out of breath and Spain was carrying the mochi that resembled America.<p>

"That was a close one," Spain declared.

"Indeed it was," Prussia agreed. "Luckily, the awesome me was there to save you guys!"

"Rubbish!" France scoffed. "I was the one who saved all of us!"

"I hardly think running faster than the rest of us and leaving us behind was 'saving us'," Spain teased, eliciting loud laughter from Prussia.

Japan rolled his eyes and began pouring the tea into cups.

Meanwhile, the mochi in Spain's hands had begun to struggle.

"Hey, what's wrong, little buddy?" Prussia asked, bending down to look at the creature. "Spain, maybe you should let go of him?"

Spain opened his hands, being careful not to let the little blob fall. He needn't have worried. As soon as it could escape, the mochi launched itself into the air in America's direction. America certainly seemed pleased.

"Come here, little guy," he said, holding out his hands.

Japan noted that the America was quite fond of the mochi. Perhaps it was the obvious resemblance between them.

But the mochi had no intentions of landing on America. The little creature flew over America's head and landed on the shoulder of the nation standing behind him.

England started.

"What on Earth?"

The mochi made a strange noise, between a whine and a squeak, and began to bounce up and down on England's shoulder. The island nation turned his head to look at it.

"Oh, I see," he said. "Very well then."

"You can understand that thing?" America asked in shock.

"Being a wizard does have its uses," England replied calmly.

"So, what did he say?" Prussia asked.

"Just that he wants a safe place to stay," England told him. "He's on the run from the monsters, just like us."

"Of course he can stay!" America declared.

No one seemed inclined to argue with America, so the matter was decided.

Japan poured the last cup of tea. Picking up the tray, he hurried to serve his fellow nations.

He brought the first cups to China and Russia, who were sitting and talking in the corner. They went eerily silent as soon as he came close. Each accepted the cup with no more than a muttered thank you and a subtle glare telling Japan to leave them alone. Not wanting to impose on them, Japan hurried away. He was worried about China, though. China had been spending so much time with Russia lately.

He next served the three friends who had just returned.

"Thanks man!" Prussia cheered as he gulped the tea down.

"Gracias," said Spain, although his attention was clearly focused on Romano, sitting next to his still-unconscious brother.

"Thank you, Japan," France remarked, sipping the tea delicately.

Japan smiled. At least they were trying to be polite, though the degree of success varied.

The next set of drinks he brought to America and England. America was trying to communicate with the mochi, but it was clear from England's expression that the only thing he was doing was managing to sound like a drunken chipmunk.

"I brought you some tea," Japan said quietly, interrupting the dreadful cacophony.

"Thank you," England said, taking a cup and sipping it slowly.

"Tea?" America groaned.

He seemed about to make some snide comment, but a glance towards England changed his mind.

"Thanks," he remarked instead, grabbing a cup and gulping down the tea in seconds.

He tried to hide his distaste for the drink, but Japan suspected that England could see right through the act. He was also quite certain that the island nation was grateful for America's small bit of thoughtfulness.

"Is Canada-san asleep?" Japan asked, noticing America's twin stretched out on one of the beds.

"I don't know," America admitted. "He's been really distant."

"I'll just let him rest then," Japan decided.

He finally approached the two sitting beside Italy's bed. Germany had barely moved, except to lean forward and whisper something into Italy's ear every once in a while. By contrast, Romano was constantly fidgeting. But his attention was always focused on his brother.

"I've brought you some tea," Japan said.

Romano grabbed a cup and downed the contents quickly. As usual, he offered no thanks.

Germany didn't even look up.

"Germany-san, do you want some tea?" Japan tried again.

"I'm fine," Germany insisted.

"Germany-san, please drink some tea," Japan requested. "It will help you relax."

"I said I'm fine," Germany snapped. "Just leave me alone."

"We're all worried about Italy-kun," Japan said. "But you're getting a bit obsessive. His condition is stable, for the moment. You don't need to be with him every second. You could at least have a cup of tea."

Germany shook his head.

"Italy's fighting for his life," he said. "This is the only way I know of to help him. So I'll stay by his side and watch over him until he comes back."

Japan nodded.

"Very well," he agreed. "If you feel it's necessary."

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><p>Author's Note: I feel really bad. This is so late. The quality is also not my best in places. I'm so sorry. My muse was just not cooperating. She always takes the first week of December off to recover from NaNoWriMo, so she refused to do any work. But hopefully next chapter will be better.<p>

Thanks to The Result of Squiffie, who suggested that I include Sealand. Also, last chapter got nearly 25 reviews/comments between here and Deviantart. I'm shocked and delighted. Thanks so much for all your support!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Do not own.

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><p>"Can I ask you a question?" Italy ventured.<p>

Holy Rome stopped walking and turned to look back at him.

"What is it, Italy?" he asked.

"What about Spain and Romano?" he wondered. "Are they okay? We don't know when we need to save them. Shouldn't we try to find them?"

"What are you talking about?" Holy Rome asked. "Spain and Romano? They never came here. We just need to go find Prussia and save him. Then we can get out of here."

Italy tried to think about this. His head was so… jumbled up. He wasn't sure what was real anymore. He thought Spain and Romano had come, but maybe that was just a mistake. Maybe they had come some other time. Or had Italy himself even come here before? He must have. He remembered going through this before. He knew when he had to save Prussia, but something seemed off about his memories. Like there was something missing.

"Italy, just focus on finding Prussia, okay?"

Holy Rome seemed to know what was happening, so Italy decided to listen to him. He could try to remember what he was missing later. Right now, he had to save Prussia. If he didn't save Prussia, it wouldn't matter anyways.

Right?

Determined to succeed this time, Italy began walking faster.

A few minutes later, he and Holy Rome found Prussia stumbling down the stairs from the top floor, blood already coating his uniform from multiple wounds. He smiled as he saw them approaching.

"I was… looking for… you," he gasped out.

He began to fall, and Italy rushed forward to catch him. He was still too weak to hold all of Prussia's weight, but he managed to break his fall.

"What happened?" Italy sobbed. "We were coming to save you! Why didn't we make it in time?"

Prussia offered him a pained grin.

"I got something… you might… want," he remarked.

He took one of Italy's hands in his own and pressed a small, metal object into it. Italy didn't have to look to know that it was the key to the mansion's front door.

"I just want you to live!" Italy insisted. "I don't care about escaping! Not when I've lost everyone!"

"I just need some rest," Prussia told him. "I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

Italy shook his head.

"No. No!" he screamed. "You're lying! You're going to die here! And I'm going to be left all alone!"

"You're not alone," Holy Rome reminded him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come along. We have to go."

Too drained to protest, Italy let Holy Rome help him to his feet. But once standing, the only thing he could do was collapse sobbing in his friend's chest. Holy Rome held him tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"Don't cry, Italy," he murmured. "I don't want to see you crying."

Italy wanted to reply; to apologize for being so weak. But his throat was constricted by sobs, and he couldn't form the words.

Holy Rome seemed to understand, though. He lifted Italy into his arms and began to carry him away. As they moved away from Prussia's body and things began slipping, Italy caught one last glimpse over Holy Rome's shoulder of a distant blur of red, white, and blue.

Red. White. Blue.

Those three colors stirred a memory, even as he found it hard to remember what had sparked this train of thought. He let it go, a tiny part of him wondering if it was the reason he was crying, and focused solely on the colors.

Red. White. Blue.

"Red, white, and blue," he whispered under his breath.

"What was that?" Holy Rome asked.

But Italy ignored him. He could feel his memories trying to escape. If he focused on anything else, he would lose it.

Red. White. Blue.

"_Okay, everyone! Let's all gather under the red, white, and blue to protect the world! I'll be the hero!"_

The voice was achingly familiar, but somehow Italy couldn't place it. However, he refused to give up. He tried to think of things connected to that voice. He didn't even know why this was so important, but he knew he had to remember. Something began to stir in his subconscious. He thought he could smell… tea?

"_I'm getting through."_

The words that came into his head weren't a memory. The voice was familiar, though he couldn't place it.

"Who are you?" he asked.

He wasn't sure if he said the words aloud or not. It didn't matter. He had to focus. If he stopped focusing, he'd forget.

"_Italy, listen. You said this to me, now I'll say it to you: Open your eyes."_

Open his eyes?

"Italy! Pull yourself together." Holy Rome ordered.

Italy looked up at him, trying to piece together the event of the past few minutes. He and Holy Rome had been going… somewhere, but something had happened. What had happened? Why was he sad?

"Holy Rome, why am I crying?" he asked. "Why are you carrying me? I'm not hurt."

Holy Rome didn't answer, but simply set him on his feet.

An unfamiliar weight in his hand. He looked down at it and saw a welcome sight through a veil of tears.

"Holy Rome! Look! It's the key!"

Holy Rome nodded.

"That's right."

"Did we find it? Why is it covered in blood?"

"It's not your blood, or mine," Holy Rome assured him.

Somehow, Italy still felt uneasy.

"But I've never seen the monster bleed before," he remarked.

"What are you talking about?" Holy Rome asked.

Italy held up the key.

Wait. There were no bloodstains on it.

Of course there weren't. There never had been. Why was he imagining things?

"The front door is close, right?" Italy recalled.

He began running, so happy that he could finally get out. This mansion was frightening. He'd been so afraid of those grey monsters. But he and Holy Rome were both fine. They'd found the key, and everything was going to be okay. It was better than he'd dreamed.

So why was he still crying?

He paused as he reached the front door at last, waiting for Holy Rome to catch up.

He kept waiting.

"Holy Rome?" he called.

There was no reply.

"Holy Rome?"

Still nothing. Italy was starting to get scared.

As the silence continued, Italy finally worked up the courage to search for his friend. He slowly began to retrace his steps, climbing the stairs back to the second floor.

"Holy Rome?" he called again.

Finally, an answer.

"I'm in here, Italy."

Holy Rome's voice sounded so… sad. Italy was instantly on edge. He opened the door and entered the room. It was small and had the same surgical ordinariness that characterized the rest of the house.

Holy Rome stood in the far corner, facing away from him and examining the door to what was presumably a closet.

"Holy Rome?" Italy ventured.

The Holy Roman Empire stiffened slightly.

"Hello, Italy."

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><p>Author's Note: CLIFFHANGER! I'm evil, aren't I? I originally planned to have all this stuff with Italy be one chapter, but it started getting long, so it'll be at least two. But, on the plus side, I'm already well into the next chapter so you won't have to wait too long.<p>

Thanks for reading :)

Review for quicker updates.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: The author of this fine piece of literature would like to state that she does not own Hetalia, HetaOni, or any associated characters.

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><p>"Is something wrong?" Italy asked.<p>

Holy Rome finally turned to face him.

"Yes, Italy," he replied. "Something's wrong. Everything's wrong. And you don't even notice."

"I don't understand," Italy whispered.

Holy Rome's eyes softened.

"Of course you don't," he murmured, crossing the room to stand directly in front of Italy.

"Then tell me," Italy begged. "I'll be strong. I can handle it."

"It would be a waste of time to tell you," Holy Rome said.

Italy sighed and looked down at the floor.

"I suppose you're right," he admitted. "I'm useless, aren't I? Useless Italy."

Holy Rome reached out to put a hand on Italy's shoulder.

"That's not it," Holy Roman Empire promised. "But if I told you, you would only forget. You've already forgotten so much. And once you leave this room, you'll forget me, too. You'll run downstairs, happy to have found the key, and unlock the door."

"I could never forget you!" Italy insisted. "We've been best friends since we were little."

A look of sadness crossed Holy Rome's face.

"Japan," he said. "France, China, Russia, Canada, England, America, Prussia. Kiku Honda, Francis Bonnefoy, Wang Yao, Ivan Braginski, Matthew Williams, Arthur Kirkland, Alfred F. Jones, Gilbert Beildschmidt. Do any of these names mean anything to you?"

Italy thought about it, turning the unfamiliar names over in his head.

"No," he admitted.

"They all came here with us," Holy Rome told him. "They're all dead."

"That's impossible," Italy replied, with a laugh that even he knew was fake. "I'd know if I was forgetting someone. I'd be able to feel it. I'd-"

"Italy, that's not important right now," Holy Rome interrupted. "I know you're going to forget this, but I'm going to tell you anyways. There's one other person you're forgetting. You have to remember. If you don't, all of this was for nothing."

"What are you-"

Italy was cut off as Holy Rome pulled him into a tight hug.

"Italy, I told you, a long time ago, that I'd loved you since the tenth century. Do you remember that?"

"Yes, but-"

"Nothing has changed," Holy Rome continued. "You're still my favorite in the entire world."

"I don't understand," Italy whispered. "Why are you saying this?"

"Because I want you to know," Holy Rome told him. "Even if you can't remember."

"Holy Rome, you're scaring me," Italy said.

"I'm sorry," Holy Rome replied. "But you have to go now."

"You're coming with me, right?" Italy asked.

"I'll be right behind you," he promised.

But Italy knew when he was being lied to.

"You can't sacrifice yourself for me!" he screamed.

"Italy, you have to go," Holy Rome ordered.

"I won't!" Italy insisted.

"Italy, every second you waste, things become even more hopeless," Holy Rome said. "If you go now, you can save all of us. Even me. I need you to be brave and do this. If you die here, there won't be another chance. If you die here, you can't save anyone."

"I don't want to leave you," Italy whispered.

"I don't want you to go," Holy Rome replied. "But you have to."

He untangled himself from Italy's embrace and opened the door out to the hall.

"Go, Italy," he ordered. "Good luck."

Italy tried to stand up straight. He tried not to cry. He would be brave, for Holy Rome. He would risk everything, if that was what he had to do.

"I'll see you again soon," Italy promised.

He slowly walked out of the room, until the door shut behind him.

Italy smiled. At last he had the key! Now everything would be wonderful! He could escape from this horrible mansion and go back home! Tears of joy filled his eyes. Or perhaps tears of sadness, but he couldn't imagine what he had to be sad about.

He took the stairs two at a time, hurrying to the front door. At last, he could escape. He had just fitted the key into the lock when an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind him.

"_Wake up," _it whispered.

Italy spun around, but there was no one there. Of course, he had come to this place alone, but for some reason, he was still certain that someone should be there with him. Who had spoken?

He decided to worry about it later, when he was free. He turned back to the door and began to turn the key.

"_Ich liebe dich, Italia."_

There it was again. That voice. Hearing it again, the voice sounded so familiar. It sounded like…

* * *

><p>"I've told you before-"<p>

"England!" America cried out as England suddenly stopped talking, grasping his head in his hands.

England didn't reply. He merely ran towards where Italy lay, still unconscious.

"England? What are you doing?" America asked. "Did the monster possess you or something?"

"Shut up, America!" England snapped. "I'm trying to concentrate!"

America nearly asked what England was concentrating on, but shut his mouth before he had fully opened it. It was hard to stop his urge to talk, but he would do it, if England wanted him to. Besides, this clearly had something to do with Italy, and America didn't want to face Germany's wrath if he accidentally destroyed Italy's chances of survival.

"Come on, come on," England chanted under his breath, as he stood over the unconscious nation.

A triumphant smile suddenly graced his face.

"I'm getting through," he said. "Italy, listen. You said this to me, now I'll say it to you: Open your eyes."

He focused intently on Italy for several more seconds, before suddenly scowling and cursing bitterly under his breath.

"No good," he told the rest of them. "I can't help him."

America sighed. For a moment, he'd thought England was going to get Italy back. No such luck.

"What was that?" Germany asked.

"When America helped me get my magic back, I heard Italy's voice in my head, telling me to open my eyes," England began to explain.

"Why didn't you tell us this, bastard?" Romano accused.

"Would it have changed anything?" England asked.

"It might have!"

"Romano-kun, please calm down," Japan requested. "I'm sure England-san had his reasons."

"I thought it was a ghost," England admitted. "I didn't want to upset anyone."

America felt a slight shiver run up his spine as he heard the word 'ghost.' He was quite glad that England hadn't mentioned it before. Although the look Romano was giving him was almost as scary as a ghost.

"Just continue your story," Russia requested.

Unnoticed by all, he and China had emerged from the secret meeting they were holding in the corner. Now everyone but Canada was gathered around Italy's bed. No, that wasn't right. America saw his brother standing partially behind Russia, less visible than ever.

"As I was saying," England continued. "When I found out Italy was alive, I realized that it must be some sort of psychic connection."

"Like what you did with me?" Japan asked.

"A bit," England concurred. "But more of a natural psychic resonance caused by spiritual parallel than a forged telepathic connection."

"Do you mind translating that into English?" Prussia piped up. "No one here has any clue what you just said."

Clearly surprised, England looked around to check that this was indeed true. America avoided his eyes and wished he had taken England's magic more seriously before.

"Honestly, it's just basic thaumaturgy," England muttered. "We were in the same place at the same time, but on different levels of reality, and a link formed between our minds. Not very strong, but enough for me to hear him every once in a while."

"So why did you wait to try to contact him?" Spain asked.

There was no accusation in his voice. Only curiosity.

"By the time I found out he was alive, the connection had already cut off," England explained. "Or, based on what just happened, I'd say something was blocking me. I only got through for a few seconds, and then only because Italy was trying just as hard as I was."

"So, what does that mean for Italy?" Germany asked. "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know," England admitted. "His soul is trapped in some sort of dream, I think. Whatever is holding him there is strong. He'll need all the strength he has to save himself."

He sighed.

"Even that might not be enough."

Germany looked crestfallen, although he tried to hide it.

America took a few steps towards England.

"You did all you could," he said, laying a hand on England's shoulder.

England looked away.

"It wasn't enough," he replied.

Through the corner of his eye, America saw Germany lean down to whisper something in Italy's ear.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: It never ends! I planned for the end of Italy's dream to be one chapter. This is the second chapter and there's still more to come. England's magic-techno-babble was fun to write. Also, why is this so fluffy? I swear, I didn't plan it that way... I must just be in a fluffy mood. Next chapter may or may not be out this weekend. Depends on how much time I have between now and then. If it isn't out by Sunday: Merry Christmas to all of you! (If you don't celebrate Christmas, Happy HanukkahKwanzaa/Solstice/whatever-holiday-you-might-be-celebrating!)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own…not creator…not mine…etc.

* * *

><p><em>Italy smiled. At last he had the key! Now everything would be wonderful! He could escape from this horrible mansion and go back home! Tears of joy filled his eyes. Or perhaps tears of sadness, but he couldn't imagine what he had to be sad about.<em>

_He took the stairs two at a time, hurrying to the front door. At last, he could escape. He had just fitted the key into the lock when an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind him._

_"__Wake up," __it whispered._

_Italy spun around, but there was no one there. Of course, he had come to this place alone, but for some reason, he was still certain that someone should be there with him. Who had spoken?_

_He decided to worry about it later, when he was free. He turned back to the door and began to turn the key._

_"__Ich liebe dich, Italia."_

_There it was again. That voice. Hearing it again, the voice sounded so familiar. It sounded like…_

"Germany!" Italy whispered.

Of course! How could he have forgotten Germany? And Japan! And France! And China! And all the rest of the countries!

And Holy Rome.

Italy turned to run back up the stairs. It didn't matter what Holy Rome had said. Italy wouldn't let anyone else die for him. But the mansion was already disappearing, fading like smoke.

Of course! This was all a dream! He remembered the monster. He remembered that he couldn't fight it. But if it was all just a dream, then Holy Rome…

He didn't want to finish that thought.

"It's alright, Italy," Holy Rome's voice whispered out of the darkness.

And he was there. Holy Rome was there. And he was the only light in the stifling darkness that surrounded Italy. Italy choked back a sob and threw himself into Holy Rome's arms…

…only to find himself falling through the insubstantial mirage. He only barely kept himself from falling to the ground, or what passed as ground in this world of darkness. He turned back towards Holy Rome, only to find one of the terrible creatures in Holy Rome's place.

"We had a deal," the creature hissed.

"I know," Italy sobbed. "But, please, can't you-"

"A deal is a deal," the creature insisted. "Your life, for all of their lives. Incredibly generous of me, wasn't it?"

"But, I want to escape with all of them," Italy whispered. "I don't want to be alone."

The creature laughed. It was a harsh, cruel sound.

"So you'll watch them die, over and over again, until you find a loophole?" it asked. "There are no loopholes. Not in my realm. And each time you try again, I only become stronger. You know you're playing right into my hands, but you still keep coming. What a fool."

Italy couldn't reply. It was true. All of it. But what could he do? He had realized something. He didn't want to save only them. He wanted to save himself, too. Was that even possible?

"England is weak," the creature told him. "His powers have dwindled to nothing. If you die now, he won't be able to turn back time. He won't be able to save you. They'll have no choice but to leave. It's the only way you'll be able to save them. You won't have a chance like this again for a long time."

Italy felt like he couldn't breathe. Here, the monster was offering what he wanted. The others could all escape. The price was small. Only his own life. He could pay that price, couldn't he?

But then he thought back to all the others. They wouldn't give up. Even if Italy died, England would find a way to regain his magic, and turn back time. Italy knew that the only way he could help them escape was by escaping with them.

"No," he told the monster. "I can't accept that. No matter what happens, I'm going to make sure that we all escape. Because I need them, and they need me. But of course you wouldn't understand that."

"I understand better than you know," the creature hissed.

As it faded away, Italy was left breathless and confused. What did it mean? How could it understand what he was going through? And why had it let him win? Why was he still alive?

At least, he thought he was alive.

"Italy?"

Suddenly, Holy Rome was there, smiling and holding a hand toward Italy.

"Holy Rome!" Italy exclaimed.

This time, when he jumped into his friend's arms, he didn't fall through. Holy Rome held him tightly, hugging all the fear away.

"What happens now?" Italy asked.

"Now, you wake up," Holy Rome told him. "You've been sleeping for long enough."

Italy smiled at the thought of seeing his friends, but that smile vanished when something occurred to him.

"What about you?" he asked.

Holy Rome smiled.

"I'm just a dream," he whispered.

Italy shook his head.

"No! Holy Rome, you're more than that! And, I- I love you, too! So you can't leave me now!"

Holy Rome hugged him closer.

"You're right," he admitted. "I'm not a dream. More like… a memory. But I'm glad to hear you say that. I've been waiting to hear those words for a very long time. All the same, you can't live in a dream forever. Go, Italy."

"No, I can't leave you," Italy whispered. "Can't you come with me?"

"Little Italia," Holy Rome murmured. "You need to leave now. But don't worry. You'll see me again."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He let go of Holy Rome.

"_Italia, please come back."_

Italy smiled as he turned towards the sound of Germany's voice, following it back to the real world.

He opened his eyes.

"Italy!"

Germany's worried face was the first thing to come into view.

"Germany!"

Italy sat up and wrapped his arms tightly around Germany's neck.

"Thank you so much," he said.

"Um, you're welcome," Germany mumbled awkwardly.

"If it weren't for you, I would be dead right now," Italy told him.

"Hey, idiot! The potato bastard wasn't the only one worried about you!"

Italy smiled and reached one arm out to his brother, keeping the other tightly around Germany. Romano allowed himself to be pulled into a one-armed hug, although it was clear he was still unhappy being so close to Germany.

"Group hug!" Spain declared.

Italy laughed as he was buried in an avalanche of affection.

"Thanks, everyone," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Italy's finally awake! I'm not ending on a cliffhanger! Yay!<p>

Happy New Year to everyone!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: *puts on wig, makeup, etc* I am Hidekaz Himaruya and I own Hetalia! Okay, just kidding. I'm not him :(

* * *

><p>"But I know something important!" Sealand insisted.<p>

"What do you know?" Hungary asked. "What's so important?"

"It's Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland," Sealand told the group. "They're here too! And they're looking for you!"

"Well, now they're lost here, too," Switzerland muttered. "Can't someone contact the outside? We need to stop any more nations from coming here. This place is a deathtrap."

"I don't think that would work," Korea pointed out.

"For one thing, those monsters are blocking contact with anyone outside the mansion's grounds," Estonia pointed out.

"For another, everyone would come anyways, even if you did tell them to stay away," Latvia pointed out. "We nations stick together."

"I still wish we could contact the ones on the outside," Austria remarked. "We could ask them to bring some more weapons and supplies."

"How come you're not with the Nordics?" Hungary suddenly asked Sealand.

"I'm not really supposed to be here," Sealand admitted. "They told me to stay home. But I want to help!"

"You're, like, too small!" Poland insisted.

Sealand glared at him.

"I may be small, but I'm very strong!"

"Excuse me, where did you last see the rest of the Nordics?" Austria asked.

"It was just over by the main gate," Sealand told him.

"Well, then shouldn't we try to find them?" Austria suggested.

"Isn't that a pretty hopeless quest?" Lithuania asked.

"Nonsense," Austria replied. "It won't be that hard to find the main gate from here."

"Did you forget that the landscape is continually changing?" Switzerland asked. "Anyway, we should be looking for Liechtenstein!"

But Austria was already walking off.

"Let's just follow him," Hungary suggested. "He can't get us any more lost than we already are. And maybe we'll find Liechtenstein on the way."

* * *

><p>Romano really wanted to hit his brother. Not only had Veneziano completely ignored his own brother in favor of that potato bastard, but now he refused to tell anyone what had happened in his dream. Romano could tell that something very important had happened, but Veneziano refused to talk about it. Stupid brother.<p>

"I'm going downstairs," Romano announced. "I want to see if I can do something useful."

He glared at the group of nations fussing over Veneziano. Typical. Everyone always like Veneziano best.

"Hey! You can't go downstairs on your own!"

Romano turned to see Veneziano running towards him.

"I don't need your protection!" Romano spat.

"We shouldn't split up!" Veneziano insisted.

"But I just want to clear my head," Romano told him.

"Italy's right," Spain interrupted. "You shouldn't leave this room without someone to watch your back. I'll go with you."

Romano scowled. Even Spain didn't acknowledge that Romano was part of Italy, too. Hell, even Veneziano didn't acknowledge it most of the time. Romano hated it. He was just as much Italy as Veneziano. Why couldn't they acknowledge that?

"I'm coming, too!" Veneziano added.

"If Italy's coming, I am too," Germany decided. "I won't make that mistake again."

"I would also like to come," Japan requested.

"I'll come, too," England insisted. "I want to see if I can find more of my magic."

"England, could you stay?" America requested.

England turned to look at him, surprised.

"Why?"

"I've seen you die too many times," America admitted quietly. "I know it's selfish, but I don't want to live through that again. I want you here, where I can make sure you're safe. Besides… I'm worried about Canada."

He whispered something into England's ear. Judging by the nervous glances both sent in Russia's direction, Romano could easily guess America's fears.

"You should stay, England," Veneziano said. "We'll look for your magic for you. I know where some of it might be."

"Thank you, Italy," England replied. "In that case, I suppose I can stay and make sure this idiot doesn't worry himself into an early grave."

America smiled.

"Thanks, England."

"So, shall the rest of us head out then?" Spain suggested.

"Let's go," Romano muttered.

He really wasn't happy about how his lone walk had turned into a scouting mission for half the group. But at least he could get out of this stuffy hideout, so he supposed it was better than nothing.

* * *

><p>Liechtenstein carefully dialed the familiar number on Belarus's cell phone, thankful for this chance to talk to her brother for what might be the last time.<p>

"Hello?"

Liechtenstein sighed in relief to hear Mr. Austria's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Mr. Austria," she said. "Is my big bruder with you?"

"Yes, he is," Austria told her. "He'll be glad to hear from you. Hold on a minute."

Liechtenstein waited patiently as she heard Austria yelling for Switzerland.

"Hello?" Switzerland said.

"Hello, big bruder."

"Liechtenstein!" Switzerland gasped. "Are you okay? Where are you? What happened? Are you hurt? What can I do for you?"

"I'm fine, bruder," Liechtenstein promised. "I'm sorry I left you. There was a misunderstanding. So I just called you to let you know that I'm okay. I'm going to be helping Miss Belarus and Miss Ukraine for a while."

"What are you girls doing?" Switzerland asked.

He sounded suspicious.

"We're helping Mr. Russia," Liechtenstein explained. "I can't really tell you more than that, because I don't know any more than that."

"Russia is dangerous," Switzerland snapped.

"Bruder, I can make my own decisions, can't I?" Liechtenstein pointed out. "This is the right thing to do. I'm certain of it."

"Just be careful, okay?" Switzerland requested.

Liechtenstein smiled. He was always so worried about her. It was sweet.

"I will be. But there's one more thing I want to say to you," she said. "I want to say goodbye."

"Liechtenstein! What are you talking about?"

"This is going to be dangerous," she told him. "If I die, I want you to know that you've been the best brother I could ever ask for. You gave me everything, and I'm so grateful. I love you, big bruder. But I need to do this. I want to do this. So don't be too sad if I don't make it out alive. Move on with your life. And make sure you're not alone. You need someone. Find someone to replace me. I won't mind. Did you get all that, big bruder?"

"Liechtenstein! What are you saying?" Switzerland gasped.

"Please, just tell me you love me," Liechtenstein requested. "You've never said it before, but I want to hear it. Please?"

"I love you, Liechtenstein."

Switzerland's voice was choked and curt, but Liechtenstein could tell that he meant it.

"Thank you, big bruder," she whispered. "Goodbye."

"Wait! Liechtenstein! I-"

Liechtenstein pressed the button to end the call and handed the phone back to Belarus.

"Thank you, Miss Belarus," she said.

Belarus looked away.

"I just didn't want him chasing us," she insisted.

Liechtenstein smiled.

"Still, I'm grateful," she said. "Now, why don't we get going?"

* * *

><p>Author's note: Those outside the mansion are unaware that Italy has the power to turn back time, so when Liechtenstein talks about dying, she thinks it will be permanent. And neither Liechtenstein nor Switzerland has a cell phone, so Liecht was using Belarus' phone to call Austria, hoping Switzerland was with him. Also, the word love is used very loosely here. Interpret it however you'd like.<p>

Would anyone mind if I included the micronation Ladonia in this story? He was introduced in the Christmas Event and he's adorable. I have an idea for using him, but it's not neccesary to the plot and I won't use it if you guys think he's too obscure.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I am not Himapapa.

* * *

><p>"This way," Austria insisted, leading them further into the confusing maze.<p>

"Admit it, you're lost," Switzerland whined. "Let me lead the way."

"I know exactly where I'm going," Austria told him. "Just let me get there."

Korea met Estonia's gaze and rolled his eyes. The bespectacled nation nodded his agreement with the sentiment.

"Darling, you know I have faith in you, but you aren't exactly the best at directions," Hungary remarked. "It's been hours."

"We're almost there, I'm sure of it," Austria replied. "Just a bit farther this way."

They continued walking in silence.

It was Sealand who heard it first.

"It sounds like there's something up ahead!" he exclaimed gleefully.

Now that Sealand had mentioned it, Korea could hear it too. The low hum of the creature, and war cries that he suspected belonged to Denmark. He found himself staring at Austria. Was it possible that his sense of direction was so bad that it wasn't affected by the constantly changing landscape?

"Come on, let's go!" Sealand yelled.

He began to take off to the left, towards the noise, but Austria immediately grabbed him.

"This way," he said, pointing right.

"But-" Sealand objected.

"I say we follow Austria," Hungary spoke up. "He's led us right so far."

"I'd have to agree," Switzerland admitted. "I think he's onto something."

Korea looked around. Everyone seemed unsure of what to do.

"I say we go with Austria," he decided.

"I'm, like, totally with Austria," Poland declared.

"I guess me, too," Lithuania agreed.

"I suppose I'll support Austria," Estonia decided.

"Me, too," Latvia agreed.

"Fine, we can go Austria's way," Sealand agreed.

Austria only smiled slightly as they all decided to back him up. Then he began walking straight forwards.

"I thought you were going right!" Sealand pointed out.

Austria gave him a confused look.

"This is right," he told him.

Sealand sighed and grumbled under his breath.

Korea himself was beginning to doubt that Austria really knew where they were going, when the trees suddenly opened into a wide clearing. In the center of the clearing was one of the creatures, bigger than usual and emanating a horrible glow. Facing it were the five Nordics, all looking rather ragged.

"Well, he actually did it," Estonia remarked.

"I'm impressed," Korea added.

"To battle!" Sealand yelled, running towards the Nordics.

The rest of the group shared a glance before swiftly following him.

The creature, sensing that it had lost the advantage, disappeared.

"Come back here you coward!" Denmark yelled. "I'm not finished with you!"

"Just be glad it's gone," Norway told him.

"Sealand?" Finland gasped as he saw the tiny micronation. "I thought we told you to stay home,"

Sealand pouted.

"Don't treat me like a little kid," he whined. "I just wanted to help."

"You were supposed to stay with Ladonia," Sweden reminded him.

"I was with him!" Sealand insisted. "We were coming here together! But he couldn't get inside and once I got in I couldn't get out!"

"Of course he couldn't get in," Estonia remarked. "No internet service. The phone service is pretty weird too."

"So we really don't have any way of communicating with the outside world," Korea assumed.

"Unless…" Estonia muttered.

He quickly whipped out his high-tech cell phone and began fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" Hungary asked.

"Trying to contact the outside world," Estonia replied cryptically.

The other nations crowded around the nation, eager to see what he was doing. From Korea's viewpoint, it didn't make much sense, but he supposed Estonia knew what he was doing.

Suddenly, the cell phone screen wavered, before a blurry image of Ladonia appeared. He looked mad.

"How dare you go in there and leave me alone!" he shouted.

Sealand cringed.

"I didn't mean to," he said. "I thought you were with me."

"Idiot!"

"Ladonia, please," Austria interrupted. "We don't have time for childish arguing. I know some of the other nations are planning to come here to help out. You need to deliver a message to them. Tell them to bring plenty of food and supplies, especially weapons. Warn them that there are monsters in here and that, once they enter, they won't be able to leave until this is over. Do you understand?"

Ladonia nodded.

"Yup! I'll tell them, I promise," he agreed.

"Thank you," Austria replied.

* * *

><p>"The awesome me is back!" Prussia declared as he walked out of the bathroom.<p>

America laughed.

"Wow, you really picked a bad time for a shower," he observed.

"What'd I miss?" Prussia wondered.

"Oh, nothing much," France told him. "Only Italy waking up and half the group leaving on a scouting mission. You really shouldn't take such long showers."

Prussia looked around.

"Only us left?"

"Well, Russia too," England told him. "But he just left. I'm not sure why. He insisted he had something to do."

Canada, who had just woken up, turned pale.

"Did he say what he was doing?" he asked.

"Not that I recall," England said. "Why? I figure he can take care of himself."

"I should go after him!" Canada insisted. "Not even Russia should wander around here alone!"

Without waiting for a response Canada rushed down the stairs and out of the hideout. France, England, and America exchanged glances, before taking off after him. But Prussia was quicker. He raced down the stairs and into the closet. As his hand was on the door handle, he suddenly stopped as he heard voices in the room beyond.

"I won't let you do this!"

That was Canada's voice.

"You're blocking my way!" America hissed. "Let me at that commie bastard! What's he doing to my brother?"

Prussia quickly shushed him.

"I think we might be able to find out what Russia's been so secretive about lately if we keep listening," he explained in a hushed whisper. "Canada has to be in on it. Maybe they'll let something slip."

"Good plan," England agreed.

"Bad plan," America countered. "I'm not leaving my brother alone with the commie!"

"Either shut up or I'll make you leave!" Prussia demanded. "I want to know what he's up to."

America grumbled, but remained silent, which was good, because Prussia wasn't sure he would actually be able to enforce that threat.

"Foolish little nation, do you think you can stop me?"

That was Russia.

"I can try!" was Canada's reply. "Russia, we're your friends. Don't betray us like this!"

"I don't have friends."

Crushing silence descended on both the two in the room and the group in the closet. Finally, Canada spoke up.

"I'm your friend."

The silence following those words was total. Everything seemed to freeze for a few breathless seconds. Then came a harsh crack and the gentle thud of a body collapsing to the ground.

For a few moments afterward, everything was still, uncomprehending. Then, it collapsed into chaos.

* * *

><p>Author's note: This story just reached 100 reviews! Wow! Thanks so much for all your support. Seriously, I love it. Every time I see a new review it just gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside (I'm going to stop talking now before I stop making sense)<p>

Also, if there are any characters that haven't shown up yet that you'd like to see, feel free to make a request. I'm planning on including a lot of characters, but let me know if there's anyone you'd especially like to see.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Let me check….Nope. Not my characters.

* * *

><p>"Canada!"<p>

Pushing past Prussia, America was the first into the room. What he saw only confirmed his worst fears.

Canada lay collapsed on the floor, unconscious or dead. Russia stood in the doorway, smiling cruelly and holding his pipe. And one of the monsters stood directly behind Russia, mocking America with its cold indifference.

"You bastard!" America screamed, torn between tending to his fallen brother or going after Russia.

His momentary distraction decided the matter for him. With one last cryptic smile, Russia disappeared, along with the creature behind him.

America's legs gave out and he collapsed weakly to his knees.

"Damn him!" he screamed. "Damn him!"

"America?"

He felt England's comforting hand on his shoulder, but he quickly shook it off. He didn't want England's comfort. Not now. Russia had betrayed them and Canada had suffered for it. And once again, America had failed to be the hero. First England, now this. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. If there was one thing he hated more than anything in the world, it was feeling helpless, feeling like he needed to rely on other people. And ever since they'd come here, he'd felt nothing but helpless. He wished he'd never suggested it.

"Is he dead?"

"He's fine, actually. Just unconscious. He'll be okay once he wakes up."

France and Prussia's conversation seemed to reach him through a haze. So Canada was alive. That was good. Incredible, actually. But still…

"I knew something was wrong," America said quietly. "I knew and I didn't do anything. I should have made him tell me. A true hero would have known what to say to make him tell me. I could have stopped this."

"There was nothing you could have done, hero or not," England told him curtly. "He wouldn't tell you anything if he didn't want to."

His hand was back on America's shoulder. Defeated, America let it stay there, allowing England to comfort him. Just this once.

"You three should bring Canada back to the hideout and look after him," Prussia suggested.

"What about you?" France asked.

"Someone needs to warn West and the others about Russia," Prussia replied. "I know you three won't want to leave Canada, and I'm not sure I trust China right now, so I'll go."

"Come on, America," England said, holding out a hand to help him to his feet.

After a moment of hesitation, America accepted the assistance.

"Thanks," he whispered.

Turning back towards the closet, he saw that France had gently picked up Canada and was carrying him back up to the hideout. America and England quickly followed.

As France laid Canada out on one of the beds, America began pacing.

"We all saw this coming!" he snapped. "Why didn't anyone stop it!"

"We didn't see this coming," England told him calmly. "None of us honestly thought Russia would go so far as to betray us."

"I did!" America retorted. "I knew this would happen! I should have stopped him!"

"Who says Russia betrayed us?"

America turned on China, who had finally come out from the corner.

"You're in league with him, aren't you?" he screamed.

Furious, he drew his gun.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't shoot you right now!"

China didn't reply. He only stood there, gazing steadily at America, as if daring him to shoot.

"America!" England cried out. "Calm down!"

Gently, he took the gun from America's shaking hands.

"…merica…"

Canada's soft voice drew America's attention and he ran to his brother's side.

"Canada?"

"Where's Russia?" Canada asked.

"That traitor left with one of those grey things," America told him bitterly. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you."

"I have to go after him," Canada murmured, trying to sit up. "I have to stop him."

"Canada-" France began.

America pushed his brother back down onto the bed.

"You stay here," he ordered. "I'll take care of stopping Russia."

"America! Stop!" Canada yelled, getting to his feet.

"Why?" America asked. "Why should I stop? Is there something else you're not telling me?"

"America, I-"

"Are you going to tell me the truth?" America asked, screaming now. "Because if you're not, I don't want to hear it!"

He turned away, unwilling to look Canada in the eye. He knew his words had hurt his brother, but he couldn't bring himself to regret them. They were brothers. Why couldn't Canada trust him?

"I'm sorry, America," Canada murmured. "I wish I could tell you. But I made a promise. And I won't break it."

"Damn you and your damn sense of honor!" America screamed.

Unable to take it anymore, he retreated to the bathroom and quickly locked the door behind him. It was only then that he allowed himself to cry.

* * *

><p>Italy looked up as Germany suddenly stopped and pressed a hand to his forehead.<p>

"Germany?"

"I'm fine, Italy," Germany assured him. "Just a bit of a headache."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Italy asked.

Germany smiled.

"I'm fine," he promised.

The effect of these words was ruined, however, as he winced and clutched his head more tightly.

"Germany!" Italy shrieked.

Hearing the noise, Spain, Romano, and Japan rushed back towards them.

"I'm really fine," Germany insisted.

"You're not fine!" Italy told him. "You should go back to the hideout! Come on! I'll take you back!"

"Hey! Veneziano!" Romano interrupted. "We came to look for England's magic, right? You're the only one who knows where it is."

"But, Germany-" Italy began.

"I'll bring him back to the hideout!" Romano insisted. "So don't you worry! Go find England's magic so we can get out of here!"

Italy stared at his brother in shock. Romano had never liked Germany. And here he was offering to help him. Italy grinned and hugged Romano.

"Thank you, fratello!"

"Shove off."

"I'll go with him," Spain offered. "It'll be safer with two of us."

"Damn bastard," Romano muttered.

But Italy noticed that he didn't actually reject Spain's offer.

"I'm really fine," Germany insisted. "I don't need to be treated like some weakling."

"I know," Italy replied. "But it's okay to accept help when you need it."

"I should be here to protect you," Germany told him.

"Don't be such an idiot!" Romano shouted. "You can't help anyone if you're hurt! You'll just get yourself killed and everything we've worked for will be pointless!"

"You should take a break, Germany-san," Japan suggested quietly. "I think you need it."

Germany's shoulders slumped and he seemed to deflate slightly.

"Very well," he agreed.

He turned to Japan.

"Look after Italy, okay?" he requested.

"Hai," Japan agreed.

"And take care of yourself, Italy," Germany said.

"I will!" Italy promised, giving Germany a quick hug.

"Well then, let's go," Spain declared. "See you two back at the hideout!"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: This is so late! And after a cliffhanger too! I'm such a terrible person. I'm so sorry. Please don't eat me!<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Do not own.

* * *

><p>Spain noticed that Germany was looking weaker and weaker with every step. His face was set with determination, but it was too stiff, too obviously in pain. Romano marched along in the front of the small group, stubbornly refusing to look back. Which left only to Spain to point out the obvious.<p>

"Germany needs a break."

"I'm fine," Germany insisted.

Romano finally turned around.

"You're not fine, you stupid potato bastard!" he declared after one look at Germany's face. "You can't just try to hide it! That's what my brother did and look what happened to him!"

"I'm not Italy," Germany said.

"No, but that doesn't mean you don't need help," Spain pointed out. "We're human here. Only human."

"I guess I could take a short break," Germany admitted. "But not for too long. I want to get back to the hideout, where it's safe."

"Of course," Spain agreed.

"There's a room with a bed here," Romano observed, peeking inside the nearest door. "It looks safe enough."

"Then let's take a break and give Germany a chance to lie down," Spain said.

Germany bitterly protested being forced to lie down, insisting that he wasn't going to break, but Spain noticed that he wasn't really fighting it. Honestly, Spain found that more worrying than his pale face or labored breathing.

"Don't let me fall asleep," German murmured, when they'd finally made him lie down.

But when he did drift off, neither Spain nor Romano made any move to wake him. They simply sat, side by side, leaning against the wall and praying for a miracle.

"How are you holding up, Lovi?" Spain asked quietly.

"I'm fine," Romano insisted. "I mean, I'm just as scared as you, but I'm okay. I want to destroy that alien bastard."

"Me, too, Lovi."

They were silent for several minutes after that.

"Do you ever-" Romano began. "No, never mind."

"What is it?" Spain asked.

"No, it's stupid."

"Just tell me."

"Do you ever wish I hadn't asked you to come?" Romano muttered, staring determinedly at the floor.

Spain couldn't help a slight chuckle.

"Is that really what you're worried about, Lovi?" he wondered.

"Shut up!" Romano snapped, blushing. "It's a valid question!"

"It's a silly question," Spain insisted. "You shouldn't need to ask to know the answer. I would never want you doing something dangerous on your own. I'm glad I came with you. I may be in more danger here, but I'm able to protect you, and that's much better than being safe without you."

"You're such an idiot."

* * *

><p>"America! Let me in!"<p>

England pounded frantically on the bathroom door. He knew that leaving America alone to sulk was a bad idea for many reasons. Especially now, when his whole world was collapsing. England was probably the only one who knew how much America cared for his brother. He was probably the only one who realized how useless America must feel right now, and how much America hated feeling useless. America always had a very direct approach to problems, and he'd never before encountered anything he couldn't defeat with his incredible strength. Now, when it really mattered, there was nothing he could do. England couldn't even imagine how he must be feeling. Crushed, surely.

"America!" he shouted. "Let me in, or I swear I'll bust down this door!"

"Go away!"

He was crying. England could tell. This wasn't good. Not good at all.

"America, you have three seconds to open this door before I bust it down. 3…2…1…"

"England, please just leave me alone!" America begged.

England had never had any real intention of breaking down the door, but the desperation in America's voice surprised him.

"Fine, I'll stay out here," England agreed. "But I'm not leaving. We can't have you sulking all by yourself. It isn't good for you."

"Fine," America replied softly.

"Look, do you want to talk about it?" England asked.

"No," America insisted.

England waited patiently.

"Yes," America admitted quietly.

"Then talk," England told him. "It'll be good for you to get it off your chest."

"I'm a hero, right?" America began. "And heroes are supposed to save people. Heroes are supposed to save everyone. But there've been so many people I couldn't save. No matter how hard I try, I can't save everyone. The first person I failed to save… the first person was my own mother. I don't know if you ever met her, but she was the one who first raised me, before you came. She was gentle and sweet and loving. But I was an ungrateful brat and I destroyed her. It wasn't on purpose, but it was still my fault. By the time I saw what I was doing, it was already too late. I couldn't save her. After that, there were so many.

Sometimes I wonder if all of them have become ghosts and are waiting to attack me with their crazy ghost-powers and I know- I know- that I'm being irrational, but it doesn't matter because I'm terrified. I hate the thought that there might be people out there who hate me. I don't want people to hate me. God, this sounds so stupid!"

There was a long pause.

"Go on," England prodded.

"Ever since we came here, I've been utterly helpless," America continued. "I hate it. Watching all of you out there suffering, while I can't do anything. Especially you, England. You have all this power, but you try to waste it and throw it away every chance you can get. And I can't stop you. And now Canada's been attacked and I could have prevented it. If I'd only tried a little harder, I could have stopped Russia. If only…"

"America, you're being absolutely ridiculous," England told him bluntly. "You can't blame yourself for everything. It's not your fault. This isn't some movie. In real life, heroes can't always save everyone, no matter how hard they try. You tried your best, and that's what's important. I know….I know I've scoffed at your hero complex before, but the truth is, I never meant it. I respect the way you always put yourself first, even if you're being an idiot. Sometimes I wish I was that innocent. There are a lot of things I've said to you that I didn't really mean. But, if you want to know the truth, I do miss the days when you were my colony, but it doesn't really hurt anymore. I'm so proud of you. You've become so much more than you ever could have been, under my control. I've missed you, but now I want a friend, not a little brother."

"A friend?" America repeated softly. "Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Oh, god, how long has it been since my last update? *checks* Nearly a month? I'm so sorry! I've just been so busy (and uninspired) lately. Musical rehearsals have been eating all my spare time. This chapter mostly came about thanks to two epic HetaOni USUK RPs on the livejournal event comm. Thanks for being epic Englands, Belugaaa and Gnortaku! It really resurrected my muse. Unfortunately, it'll be at least two weeks until the next update, because next week is hell week and I won't have any time for writing. Thanks for putting up with my lateness, guys.<p>

Mini-cameo of Native America for Himona and ChulaEntertainment. Sorry it wasn't much, but I couldn't think of any better way to fit her in.

Also, have you all heard about the playable English version of HetaOni? It's amazing. Links in my profile.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I am not, nor will I ever be, Hidekaz Himaruya.

* * *

><p>It was a strange sensation, being a creature made of mochi. There was hardly any feeling to anything. No taste, no touch. Only the vaguest comprehension of sight and sound. It knew that it had been more than this once, but it had been changed. Now words like limbs and walking and human were only that: words. It had been such a short time, it thought, but it had been long enough that it had almost forgotten the sensation of being human. Almost. Because it was there, every second, nagging at the back of its miniscule mind, reminding it that it had once been more than this. Wanting to be real again.<p>

The one who made it abandoned it. Left it. Went where it couldn't follow. It had been searching for a long time now, waiting to find the one who made it so that it could be turned back. So that it could be free. For so long, the one had evaded it.

It had been stuck in the wall for a long time now. Long and short. Time was strange here. But the one who made it came back at last. He had rescued it from its prison and set it free. It was very grateful. And it knew that it would soon be its real self again.

Even if HE was there. It wondered how it and HE could both be here, but the consideration was too much for its tiny brain. It was forced to simply accept the fact without understanding.

The one who made it didn't understand what it was. It had tried to explain, but it didn't truly understand either, and with its limited communication, it could not make him understand what little it did know. So it was forced to wait, and hope that the one who made it would soon understand, and return it to its former state.

* * *

><p>England set the mochi down, struggling to understand what it was trying to tell him. Somehow, it was clear that he was responsible for this little creature's state, but how and why, he could only guess.<p>

The mochi happily bounced off towards the kitchen, perhaps hoping to find some friends.

Or dinner, he amended as the creature chomped down on a lettuce leaf Japan had left out. England smiled slightly. Those bright blue eyes were so familiar somehow.

His attention was distracted from the mochi as his phone rang. He fumbled in his pocket for it, wondering who would be calling him. It wasn't like he really had many friends.

"Hello?"

"England!"

England didn't know how to respond. Any other time, he would have made some sarcastic comeback and hung up the phone. But right now, he could hardly imagine anyone he wanted to hear from more.

"Scotland," he finally managed to say.

"Scotty! I can't hear!"

"What'd he say?"

"Scotty!"

"Would you three shut up! I'm putting it on speakerphone; just hold your damn horses!"

England couldn't help a small smile. His brothers. He'd always kind of thought he hated them, but now he knew better. They might drive him crazy, but he still cared about them. He was still overwhelmingly glad to hear their voices.

"Where are you guys?" he asked.

"Where do you think?" Scotland retorted.

"We're at your house, looking for your sorry arse!" Wales clarified.

"I'm not there," England said.

"Yeah, we noticed," one of the Irish twins retorted.

He thought it was Northern Ireland, but it was hard to tell over the phone. They sounded quite similar.

"Listen, can I trust you guys to run the UK for a bit?" England asked. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone."

"Leave everything to us!" Scotland insisted cheerfully.

"Hey, does this have something to do with that weird solar eclipse that happened earlier?" the other Irish twin asked.

"Or the fact that the aes sídhe have been saying there's something wrong with your entire country's magic?" the one England assumed was Northern Ireland asked.

"England, where are you?" Wales asked. "What's happened? We've tried contacting everyone we could think of who might know, but no one would respond. I know we've been pretty out of the loop for a while now, and to be fair, there are reasons for that, but I can tell that something is very wrong here, and it's not just you."

England sighed. He'd kind of hoped they would be as oblivious as they usually were and not notice the fact that everything had gone wrong. Typical. Once he wanted them to be their annoying selves, they decided to actually care about him.

"I'm…trapped," England finally admitted. "In a very dangerous place. A lot of the other nations are here with me. We're trying to get out, but it might be a while. So, until then, do you think you can hold things together?"

"You can count on us!" Ireland shouted.

"God, why on earth am I trusting you four?" he wondered aloud. "It'll be anarchy when I get back."

"Oh, stop being such a stuck up old man!" Scotland teased.

"It'll be fine," Wales promised.

"If it isn't, there will be consequences," England warned.

"Bye, England!" Northern Ireland yelled, seconds before a click indicated that Scotland had ended the call.

England smiled. Those four. He would never have imagined willingly leaving the United Kingdom in their care, but now that he'd done it, he had to admit that he was grateful. They wouldn't be great at it, but they could manage.

"So, you're letting your brothers run the country?" France asked.

"I don't have much of a choice," England replied.

"There will be consequences," France warned.

"I know."

The slamming of the bathroom door behind him indicated that America had finally decided to stop sulking. England turned to face his former colony.

"I did some thinking," America explained. "I'm sorry for, you know, being like that. I was being kinda selfish back there, wasn't I? Honestly, I've got it easy compared to everyone else. It won't happen again. I'll do my best to stop sulking and be a productive member of the team from now on!"

With that proclamation, he flashed a smile and although it didn't quite reach his eyes, he still looked a lot more like his old self. England smiled, very glad to see the old America. The world always felt a darker place without America's optimistic enthusiasm. The situation might have dimmed his light, but nothing on earth could put it out altogether.

He really hoped it wasn't aliens they were dealing with.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Late again! I'm so sorry. My teachers have been dumping homework lately and I've had barely any time. Also, it's another fillerset-up chapter. Sorry, but I have a lot to set up before I can really move on with the plot.

Anyway, the mochi was fun to write. Tricky, but fun. Anyone figured out what happened to it? All the clues are there, if you look closely.

Ashe-Kuro and LustGodVampire91 asked for a Scotland cameo, so I threw in all the UK bros.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Don't own Hetalia or HetaOni

Author's Note: Okay, I feel really terrible for making you all wait so long. My life has been really hectic lately, and I haven't been able to find time or inspiration to write. But I finally finished this chapter and I think things should move a bit more quickly now that I've been able to get back into it. Plus, it's summer so I have more time to write.

* * *

><p>"Italy! Japan!" Prussia shouted.<p>

The two nations whirled around in surprise, relaxing when they saw Prussia.

"Oh, it's only you, Prussia," Italy said. "I was afraid it was a monster."

"Why are you here, Prussia-san?" Japan asked.

"Russia's betrayed us," Prussia explained. "He tried to kill Canada, and then ran off with one of those creepy aliens!"

"Is Canada okay?" Italy asked desperately.

"He's fine," Prussia assured him. "America, England, and France are looking after him. I just came to warn you all."

He looked around, suddenly realizing that the group was much smaller than it should have been.

"Where are Spain, Romano, and my brother?" he asked.

"Germany-san was feeling unwell, so Spain-san and Romano-kun decided to escort him back to the hideout, while Italy-kun and myself searched for England's magic," Japan explained.

"You mean you actually let Germany out of your sight?" Prussia teased.

Italy looked away.

"I didn't have a choice," he said. "I need to do everything I can to protect everyone. Besides, I know Romano and Big Brother Spain can take care of him."

He brightened slightly at that thought.

"I should probably try to find them," Prussia remarked. "They need to know about Russia. And I want to check on my brother. That dummkopf never admits he's hurt unless it's really serious."

"Why don't you stay with us?" Japan suggested. "They're probably back to the safe room by now. Besides, you really shouldn't be running around by yourself. It's dangerous."

"We might need your help to get England's magic," Italy added. "I doubt it will be unguarded."

Prussia weighed his options.

"I guess I should stay with you guys," he decided. "You'll probably need my help if we run into those aliens."

His instincts were telling him to go find his brother and make sure he was okay, but his brain was quick to remind him that Italy was more important. If necessary, Italy could turn back time, and save them all again. Prussia didn't want Italy to relive this nightmare again, but if it came to that, he wasn't above buying their lives with Italy's sorrow. Besides, one or two more times wouldn't hurt the kid too much. Prussia trusted him not to break. And that was good, right?

* * *

><p>It was dark. That was the first thing Germany's tired mind registered. The second was that he seemed to be floating. He soon realized that it wasn't really dark, so much as it wasn't light. There was a sea of nothingness surrounding him.<p>

"Where am I?" he asked, but the nothingness swallowed his words.

Something approached from the distance. Germany tried to move towards it, seeking any escape from the nothingness, but the something continued to move only at its own measured pace and Germany seemed trapped in this nothingness.

Minutes, hours, seconds later he made out the form of a person. Another span of time, and he was looking directly into his own eyes.

No, that wasn't quite right. This…person could be his twin, but it wasn't him. There was something…different.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You don't remember?" the doppelganger asked, and its voice was richer…wilder…younger.

"Nein," Germany replied. "Tell me."

"I'm you," the mirror image declared.

There was a long pause.

"Or I should have been you."

"I don't understand," Germany said quietly.

"Of course you don't."

A sad smile crossed Not-Germany's face.

"Let me tell you a story…"

_Many years ago…_

_The Holy Roman Empire stared up at the castle before him._

_"I've never heard of a castle here before," he remarked._

_"Does that matter?" one of his soldiers whined. "We're tired, it's abandoned. Let's rest here for the night. Anything's better than camping out in the woods."_

_Holy Rome thought about it and finally nodded. They were right. His men were brave soldiers, but why should he ask them to camp out on the cold, muddy ground when there was an abandoned castle right here?_

_"We'll rest here for the night," he decided. "I'll lead a scouting party to make sure the place is safe."_

_"Should you do that, Holy Rome?" one of his advisors questioned. "If there is danger, we shouldn't lose our commander."_

_"I may look small, but I am in no danger," Holy Rome promised. "I'll lead the scouting party."_

_He chose five of his best soldiers to accompany him and the group approached the castle. A sense of foreboding seemed to grow as they approached the stone structure, but Holy Rome ignored it. He didn't believe in silly things like haunted castles._

_The doors creaked as two of his men opened them. All of them were quiet. There seemed to be some hidden, unspoken danger hidden inside. But the lure of shelter for his army overpowered any fear that might have pushed Holy Rome away. He was an empire, and he wouldn't let a little thing like fear get in his way._

_He stepped inside._

_"See, there's nothing to worry about," he told the other members of the scouting party._

_He wondered who he was trying to reassure. Them? Or himself?_

_The five men followed quickly._

_"There's something strange here," one of them murmured._

_"Maybe we should just sleep outside," another suggested. "This place is evil if I ever saw it."_

_"Stop acting like children," Holy Rome scolded. "Let's just search the place."_

_They searched the entire castle, but found nothing even remotely suspicious. In fact, the castle was in perfect repair. No dust, no drafts, there was even food in the kitchens. It was as if everyone living here had simply disappeared just this morning, leaving their lives behind._

_Then, they returned to the front hall._

_"What idiot closed the doors?" Holy Rome asked._

_"Nobody," one of the soldiers said in confusion._

_"They were definitely open when we left," another remarked._

_"Must have been a draft," Holy Rome muttered. "Get them open."_

_But try as they might, the doors remained closed._

_And the worst was yet to come..._

The story felt like a dream to Germany as he listened to Holy Rome speak. He could almost remember it, but every time he tried to think more closely about it, it vanished.

"So you died here," he said.

"I guess you could say that," Holy Rome agreed. "But I wasn't supposed to. It… changed things. My people lost the war. Then, the world created you, to fix the wrong that had occurred."

"So I'm a mistake," Germany surmised. "A bandage to hold the fabric of reality together until you come back."

Holy Rome shook his head.

"It's not like that at all."

* * *

><p>Quick poll: I'm considering the idea of switching from larger chapters with several parts to smaller chapters with only one part each so that I can get updates up faster. What do you guys think of this idea? Love it? Hate it? Tell me in your review please.<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: HetaOni, Hetalia, etc are owned by other people who are not me.

Author's note: Sorry this took so long. Between vacation, school starting, and reading Homestuck I really haven't had much free time. But here's some cool news: Chiriko Masashi on DA has done a manga adaptation of the first chapter! It's utterly amazing. She put her own spin on some stuff and I honestly think it's better than what I originally wrote. I'm adding a link in my profile.

* * *

><p>"<em>So I'm a mistake," Germany surmised. "A bandage to hold the fabric of reality together until you come back."<em>

_Holy Rome shook his head._

"_It's not like that at all." _

"Then what is it like?" Germany asked.

"You're the person I was supposed to become," Holy Rome told him. "For all intents and purposes, you are me. I'm really nothing more than a ghost. A dream."

Germany thought it over. There was one thing he still wanted to ask.

"You are…very important to Italy," Germany said carefully.

Holy Rome nodded.

"That's right," he confirmed. "And Italy means more to me than my own life."

"You were the one he spoke of, when he said his first love was a boy?"

"His first love," Holy Rome repeated. "Did he really say that?"

"Yes."

Holy Rome smiled grimly.

"I lied to him," he said.

"What?"

"I promised he would see me again," Holy Rome said. "He doesn't understand. Doesn't realize I'm already dead."

"He'll be heartbroken," Germany warned. "He never truly got over losing you the first time."

"I know," Holy Rome sighed. "I hated making another promise I couldn't keep. But he needed to live. It's for the best in the end. Besides, I suppose I will see him again, in some way."

"What do you mean?"

"You are me. You understand that, right? That means I can give you my memories. You haven't been able to remember the past loops right?"

"How did you know about that?"

"I took those memories. It was for your protection, although you can't understand. You will, though."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm just a ghost, remember? I want to end this cursed half-existence. So I'm going to make things right."

"What are you going to do?" Germany asked.

He was already quite certain what the answer would be, but he wanted to hear it from Holy Rome.

"I'm going to give you my memories. It should be enough to make things right. Time is weaker here."

"So this will change the past? And I'll be you?"

"It should."

* * *

><p>"So this is it?" Japan asked.<p>

Italy nodded.

"England's magic is in here," he confirmed. "At least, that's my guess. There was one loop where England came in here and he was very powerful after that."

His smile slipped slightly at the memory of how that loop had ended. He had trained himself not to react to thoughts of past loops, but a few memories were too strong to endure without any reaction.

"Come on then! We'll recover England's magic and then we'll make it out of here alive this time! The awesome me guarantees it!"

It was easy to tell that Prussia's confidence was simply a disguise to hide his fears, but it was still reassuring. As long as his friends still had hope, Italy could have some too. This time loop was different. They knew what they were facing. They were strong. He wasn't alone anymore. It might, just might, be enough.

He hoped so.

"Italy-kun, are you feeling okay?" Japan asked.

Italy looked over at him and brightened his smile a bit. It wouldn't do to worry him.

"I'm fine," he said. "Just remembering something."

The pensive look that came onto his companions' faces showed that they had a pretty good idea of what that 'something' was. Italy didn't elaborate. They didn't need to know. Prussia might even remember.

"Let's go get England's magic," he said.

Japan and Prussia shared a look, but didn't push him for details, a fact for which Italy was grateful.

He opened the door and stepped inside. Japan and Prussia were close behind him.

"What's that?" Prussia asked.

Italy studied the strange…thing…in the center of the room.

"It resembles one of the mythical creatures from England-san's legends," Japan observed.

"But England's fairies aren't real," Prussia insisted.

"Maybe we just couldn't see them before," Italy remarked.

He approached the creature. It –no, She- resembled a dainty, miniscule girl in a pink dress, glowing with a strange light.

"Hello?"

"_Greetings,_" she whispered, her words like honey.

"You're one of England's fairies," Italy guessed.

She laughed and the sound reverberated like tiny bells.

"_It would be better to say that England is ours,_" she replied. "_We've watched and protected him since his creation. But he has never owned us._"

Prussia laughed.

"What's so funny?" Japan asked.

"West always said that fairies were real," Prussia revealed. "It was his one impracticality. I never expected to see him proved right."

"_Germany has always been able to see us,_" the fairy remarked.

Italy gasped. Germany could see fairies?! Why had he never said anything?! He would have loved to see fairies, back before all of this happened. Back when a fairy was more than an anomaly in the time loop that could make the difference between life and death.

"What makes West so special?" Prussia asked.

The fairy leaned in, as if to reveal a great secret.

"_He's always believed,_" she revealed. "_There were once others who saw us, even you Prussia, but they lost belief and thus no longer could._"

Italy tried to remember a time when he'd seen fairies, but his memories from before the mansion were already so fuzzy.

"Please tell me it's not that simple and cheesy," Prussia groaned.

His hair briefly turned a rather attractive shade of pink.

"_There's nothing cheesy about it,_" the fairy insisted.

"So we all believe in magic now?" Japan remarked.

"_You've seen proof,_" she replied.

"I guess we have," Japan admitted.

"Why are you here?" Italy asked, still vaguely unsettled by the fairy's presence.

"_To help England, of course,_" she said, as if it were obvious.

"What's one little fairy going to do?" Prussia wondered.

"_He's weak._" The fairy remarked. "_He overuses his magic too easily. I can give him more power. I can make him unstoppable._"

Italy visibly winced that time.

"What's wrong?" Japan asked.

"He said that. Last time. He said he was unstoppable. He wasn't."

Those last two words were almost whispered.

* * *

><p>Author's Note II: Why can Germany see fairies? Can anyone figure it out? It's not really HetaOni related. It's a headcanon I've had for a while that worked rather nicely here.<p>

Also, would any of my lovely readers be interested in drawing a cover image for this story? I feel like it should have one, but I don't trust my art skills.


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